THE WRECKERS (opera) in three acts, composed by Dame Ethel Smyth to a libretto in French by Henry Brewster

Vienna: Universal Edition, 1909. First Edition. First Edition. Signed by Dame Ethel Smyth. The Wreckers (opera) program pp.42, 5 3/8" x 8 1.2"
The Wreckers was first performed in English at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1909.

This libretto has a label glued inside the program for The Royal Opera, Covent Gardens dated September 24th, 1931, which is associated with the production that year conducted by John Barbirolli.

In 1922 Smyth was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her accomplishments as a composer. She was the first woman composer to be awarded Damehood.

At age 71, she fell in love with writer Virginia Woolf who was also very involved in the women's suffrage movement and they both used their writings to express their political views. Woolf encouraged Smyth to write music and her own autobiography.

According to critics, Smyth most famous composition, "The Wreckers," in 1906. praised it as one of the most important English operas.

Political activist Dame Ethel Smyth officially became a Grammy winner in 2021, 76 years after her death. Her 1930 2-part symphony THE PRISON took home the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category at the 2021 awards ceremony performed by soloist Sarah Brailey.


The Anthem "The March of Women," a battle song for England's women's movement was composed by Dame Ethel Smyth in 1911.

This rare and important program signed by Dames Ethel Smyth are hard to come by.