The musical world is mourning the loss of one of our finest singers, and the media have responded with universally admiring notices and obituaries. Felicity’s achievements are there for all to see: her stellar career; her work with charities; her honorary degrees and awards. Fortunately we will be able to hear her voice in years to come in the many recordings she made, but we will no longer have those special personal qualities which made her unique.

I first met ‘Flott’ (as she was known affectionately in the singing world) in 1970 at St Mary the Boltons church in London where she was their regular Sunday soprano and I was an occasional deputy. As her career flowered we still worked together in concerts from time to time, often with the Songmakers’ Almanac where she was the regular soprano. Apart from her beautiful singing, one of the things which made her such a wonderful colleague and performer was her warmth and kindness.

Though blessed with such talent and eventually such fame she remained modest and generous, and I really believe that part of the love and respect she engendered in her many fans was this personal integrity. She will be so greatly missed.

Stephen Varcoe, Former WordSong Acting Chair and Trustee