English soprano Sarah Jane Leonard has died at the age of 71.

Born on April 10, 1953, in Winchester, Leonard studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, after which she joined the BBC Singers and the Endymion Ensemble.

In 1989, she made her Teatro alla Scala debut in 1989 in the premiere of Manzoni’s “Dr Faustus.” She was also known for her performances of contemporary works such as Helmut Lachenmann, Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, and Michael Nyman. Leonard went on to sing the theme to “Silent Witness” called “Silencium” by composer John Harle and was featured on the 2014 album, “The Tyburn Tree (Dark London),” by John Harle and Marc Almond.

She went on to teach at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and became a member of the Association of Teachers of Singing, the British Voice Association, and is Chairman of the Association of English Singers and Speakers.

In January 2013, she became an Honorary Doctor of Music at the University of Hull and in June 2024 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to music.

Leonard made many recordings of English Song in more than 35 albums.