Career Highlights

Florence Taylor was born Samarai, Papua New guinea on 21st November 1919. She lived on the Tribrian Islands with her parents who are missionaries. When she was eleven years of age, the family moved to Australia and for the next ten years they lived in various country areas of New South Wales. Florence came to Sydney at the age of 21 years.

Florence's ambition was to become a nurse and to return to the Methodist Mission Field in Papua. However, although she had her nurse's uniform ready, she was denied the opportunity to train because of her inherent malaria. Florence was devastated.

Without having had singing lesson, she was induced in 1941, to sing on the "Amateur Hour" after friends submitted her name to participate. This won an Australia wide weekly radio competition which had been running some years. She won the competition and received unprecedented praise in the press throughout the Commonwealth, followed immediately by lucrative engagements in capital cities in the Commonwealth.

One of the prizes was the scholarship of a year's tuition with one of four leading singing teachers of the day. Florence chose to study with Madame A. Goossens-Viceroy at the Sydney Conservatorium. At the end of that year, she won the Music Club's Scholarship two years in a row for further tuition with Madame Goossens-Viceroy. In all, she had four years tuition and she only had to pay for the fourth year, also with Madame Goossens-Viceroy.

Florence's wonderful contralto voice blossomed. Experience was gained over these years in oratorio, opera and also as a concert and radio artist.

In 1948, Florence won the most prestigious competition, "The Sun Aria". Sir Eugene Goossens was the adjudicator for the finals and he invited her to sing her two winning arias with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under his direction. This was the first of many appearances with Sir Eugene Goossens.

By now Florence Taylor had an Australia wide reputation for excellence in her work and leading musical bodies in all capital cities, invited her to appear with them as soloist.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission chose her to sing in Handel's "Te Deum" when it was recorded for the broadcast programme by the B.B.C. on the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Florence was soloist with the A.B.C.'s Orchestras in all states of the Commonwealth under the direction of resident and visiting conductors including Otto Klemperer, Alceo Galliera, Joseph Krips, Henry Krips, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Sir Eugene Goossens, Dr. Malko, Sir Bernard Heinz, Norman Chinner and Joseph Post, giving, in many cases, the very first performances of famous works in Australia.

Florence also toured New Zealand for the New Zealand Broadcasting Service.

When the A.B.C. opened their Ultimo Centre in Sydney, they honoured Sir Eugene Goossens by naming the Orchestral Studio after him. The Soloists Room was named after Florence in recognition of her four decades of work with the orchestras.

Miss Taylor's contribution to music as a contralto soloist, and more recently as a teacher of singing, has been in Australia, where she has performed in every State. She is on record as saying "I have no world shattering international triumphs to my name; I have been a local singer".

Miss Taylor recalls the austerity of her first eleven years living in Papua New Guinea as formative years in discipline and loyalty - two virtues which she has endeavoured to maintain throughout her life. Her only singing teacher Madame Goossens-Viceroy, to who she is greatly indebted, as she is also to many great mucicians, who revealed to her the great mysteries which mucic can hold; first, among these was Dr Bainton, Director of the Conservatorium of Music, Sydney.

Australia as a nation, and the profession of singing music education, owe Florence Taylor an incalculable debt of gratitude which was recognised in the customary system of the Honours List.

Note: The above information about Florence Taylor AM was prepared by D. C. Abbott


In 1986 Florence Taylor was recognised in the Australian Honours List with the Australia Medal (AM).

In 1998, Florence released a CD. The contents of the CD are drawn from some classic radio broadcasts from her past. These include Mahler Leider, the eight Brahms Gypsy Songs sung in German. It also contains some beautiful English Arts songs by Parry, Berkley, Arthur Benjamin and Frank Bridge plus a Benjamin Britten song cycle.

The CD gives you a good idea of what radio used to be like, with the original introductory announcements also included. This give the listener a wonderful sense of yesteryear. The CD is a very pleasurable and satisfying experience.

To my knowledge copies of this CD are no longer available.