She Wore Her Serenity Brightly : A Portrait of Dorothy Robertson Aitken

Dorothy Robertson was a kind and gentle friend, a marvellous singing teacher and, above all, a wonderful human being.

Her voice was recognised as one of the greats; in her youth she sang for Sir Alexander Gibson and the incipient Scottish Opera, understudying Elisabeth Harwood and working with Janet Baker, appearing on television and touring in the roles of Butterfly and Donna Anna.

Dorothy travelled around Scotland for the then Arts Council, singing the most difficult repertoire for a soprano (including the Spanisches Liederbuch by Wolf) and performing with many of Scotland's greatest pianists and musicians.

In later years Dorothy taught us and hundreds of people like us: from all walks of life and at all stages of singing ability.

A true Glaswegian, she never lost her sense of humour, although it was severely tested!

We loved her, and this book is our tribute to her. If you didn't know Dorothy, then by the end of this book you will have wished you had.

The warmth of her personality, her invidious charm, the naughty twinkle in her eye and, perhaps more than anything else, her welcoming smile, will be sadly missed by so many of us. We can only catch a glimpse of this most engaging lady through the pages of a book, but whoever you are you'll enjoy the humour, the stories, the anecdotes and sense of joy springing from a life lived to the full. 'She was an inspiration' Garry Walker, conductor.