staged by Elijah Moshinsky, alongside Jon Vickers in the title role. She also created Nadia in Tippett's The Ice Break and Mrs Coyle in the stage premiere of Britten's Owen Wingrave at the ROH; she had previously sung in the television premiere of Owen Wingrave in 1970: a "high point" in her many performances for television, according to her obituary in The Guardian. Her farewell performance at the ROH was Ellen in Peter Grimes in 1981. A critic noted in an obituary: "Her sympathy for the character drew a near-definitive portrayal." At the Bayreuth Festival, Harper appeared as Elsa in Lohengrin in 1967 and 1968, conducted by Rudolf Kempe. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Contessa Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in 1971. She also sang Charlotte in Massenet's Werther for the San Francisco Opera. She appeared as a regular guest at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, including roles such as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust and Vitellia in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. In 1982, the soprano debuted with the New York City Opera in the name part of Gluck's Alceste. Harper also had an extensive concert career. She sang in the premiere of Britten's War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Pears in 1962, substituting for Galina Vishnevskaya at ten days' notice. In 1965, she was the soprano soloist in the second UK performance of Delius's Requiem in Liverpool, conducted by Charles Groves. She sang in it again in 1968 in London, conducted by Meredith Davies, and appeared in the first recording with the same participants. In 1975, she was the soprano soloist in Verdi's Requiem at London's Kingsway Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlos Païta. At the Belfast Last Night of the Proms in 1985, she gave the world premiere of Malcolm Williamson's song cycle Next Year in Jerusalem to international critical acclaim. She sang the soprano solo in the world premiere of Tippett's Third Symphony in 1972. She retired from her singing career in 1994. Her final performance was at the BBC Proms, singing Alban Berg's Altenberg Lieder and Ralph Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music. Recordings Her recordings include Peter Grimes in both audio and video formats. In 1957, she took part in first recordings, conducted by Antony Hopkins, of sacred works by Michel Richard Delalande for the L'Oiseau-Lyre label. Some 1970s recordings, conducted by