Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, born 26 February 1949 in Camberley, United Kingdom, is
an English early music specialist and soprano. While taking up classics at
Oxford, she became part of the Schola Cantorum of Oxford and grew increasingly
involved in early music revival ensembles. Kirkby sang in the Taverner Choir,
which was founded by her husband Parrott in 1973, and recorded with the Consort
of Musicke and Anthony Rooley. Her discography included The Lady Musick (1979),
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1981), Bach: Mass in B Minor (1985), Handel: Messiah
(1991), and The Essential Emma Kir...