Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s.
She possessed a voice combining agility, accurate intonation, pinpoint staccatos, a trill and a strong upper register, although music critics complained about her poor diction.
Sutherland was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award, for the year 1961 Best Classical Performance - Vocal Soloist presented in 1962.
She was known as La Stupenda and is widely regarded as one of the greatest sopranos of all time.