English tenor Joseph Ward has died at the age of 87.

The singer, formerly a baritone, toured in the 1950s with the Carl Rosa Opera, appearing in several operas including the company’s final production staged in Nottingham in 1956.

At the beginning of his career as a baritone, Ward created the role of Starveling in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and in 1960 he sang the title role of “Billy Budd” in the radio-broadcast premiere of the revised two-act version.

In 1962 he made his Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and went on to create the role of Patroclus in Tippett’s opera “King Priam.” He later started to sing tenor repertoire and became Covent Garden’s resident principal tenor. In 1965 he went on to be principal tenor with the Sutherland-Williamson Grand Opera Company in a tour of Australia and in 1972 he founded the Opera School at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

During his years on stage, he went on to make numerous recordings including Britten’s “Albert Herring,” and Bernard Herrmann’s “Wuthering Heights,” both conducted by the composers, respectively. He also sang the tenor role in the first recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress” with Sir Adrian Boult conducting.

Aside from his work as a singer, he directed productions of “Billy Budd” and “The Pilgrim’s Progress” and became Head of Vocal Studies at the Opera School at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

He went on to become an important teacher and among his students was Jane Eaglen.

Here is Joseph Ward performing “Billy Budd.”