Judy Glen

Judy Glen - née Judith Turtill

Judith Turtill was born in Geraldine and raised in Christchurch, where she became the vocalist in a start-up group called The Torments singing on Sunday evenings at the local Methodist Central Mission's Friendship House Coffee Club, but her family roots are firmly in Ashburton, and it's to Ashburton she returned several times each year to visit her aging mother, and to catch up with other relatives, prior to her mother's death at the age of 107 years, on December 18th, 2018.  Today she's Judy Glen - an Aussie, but she's still a Kiwi at heart and while she oozes confidence, she admits that the shy naive young woman who headed across the Sea almost 50 years ago is still lurking somewhere inside.  Back then there was nothing to mark Judy out as a child destined for greatness, that honour belonged to her brother Tyrrell - an extremely - off the planet intelligent person, who lost his life in an automobile accident in February 1971.  She grew up the typical Kiwi kid of her time believing the ultimate dream was to marry the boy next door and raise four kids.

Judy Glen in Cabaret

Her natural curiosity prompted her to travel to Australia and it was there she realised that her life could be anything she wanted to make it - and that included taking a giant step towards developing her latent musical talent.  Judy auditioned for the Sydney Conservatorium and looking back says she can't believe she was innocent and gullible enough to believe that without a singing lesson she could be accepted, but she won a scholarship and her career was launched.  She worked, studied and took every opportunity that came her way, including several years as a member of the Australian Opera Company and in dozens of musicals.  Her journey has taken her from Christchurch to Covent Garden as both an opera singer and as a comedian using her opera experience as part of those shows.