Leila Megane (Q62159)

The operatic singer Leila Mégane was born Margaret Jones in Bethesda, Caernarvonshire in 1891. She made her first solo appearance at the age of sixteen and soon afterwards received her first contract to sing in concert This was followed by successes at both local and national eisteddfodau and her renown in the next few years led to her entering the London Royal Academy of Music. At the end of her time at the Royal Academy of Music Margaret studied for a further six years in Paris under the world-famous singer Jean de Reszke and it was de Reszke who advised his talented student to adopt the name Leila Mégane. Under her new title, Leila received her first professional contract while still at Paris, which was soon to lead to worldwide renown and international tours. In 1924 Leila married composer and musician Thomas Osborne Roberts, with whom she had worked professionally for some time and would continue to do so by popularising several of her husband's song compositions. Thomas Osborne Roberts died in 1948. In 1956 a scholarship bearing Leila Mégane's name was established to aid young Welsh singers studying at the Royal Academy of Music. Leila died in 1960.