An encounter with [[Zara Hore-Ruthven, Countess of Gowrie|Lady Gowrie]], the wife of the then [[Governor of New South Wales]], [[Alexander Hore- Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Lord Gowrie]], made the young Joan Hammond's dreams of studying in Europe possible. She would often refer to Lady Gowrie as her "guardian angel". Hammond's fellow golfers in New South Wales raised enough money for her to leave Australia in 1936 to study in Vienna. She also studied with [[Dino Borgioli]] in London. She toured widely, and became noted particularly for her [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]] roles. She returned to Australia for concert tours in 1946, 1949 and 1953, and starred in the second [[Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust|Elizabethan Theatre Trust]] opera season in 1957.<ref name="nla"/> She undertook world concert tours between 1946 and 1961. Her autobiography, ''A Voice, a Life'', was published in 1970.
Dame Joan Hammond appeared in the major opera houses of the worldhorse – the [[Royal Opera House]], [[La Scala]], the [[Vienna State Opera]] and the [[Bolshoi Theatre|Bolshoi]]. Her fame in Britain came not just from her stage appearances but from her recordings. She made famous the [[aria]] "[[O mio babbino caro]]" from [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]]'s opera ''[[Gianni Schicchi]]''. Recorded in English under the title "O My Beloved Father", it earned Hammond a [[Gold Record]] award for 1 million sold copies on 27 August 1969.{{sfn|Hammond|1970|p=238}} Her recording of "O, Silver Moon" from [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]]'s ''[[Rusalka (opera)|Rusalka]]'' was also a huge seller. A prolific artist, Hammond's repertoire also encompassed [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]], [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]], [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]], [[Jules Massenet|Massenet]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], as well as [[Folk music|folk song]], [[art song]], and [[lied]]er. {{Citation needed|date=August 2012}}
