Suth ‧ er ‧ land, Dame Joan /ˈsʌðələnd $ -ðər-, dʒəʊn/ BrE AmE
(1926–) an Australian ↑ opera singer, who is thought to be one of the most important ↑ soprano s (=women with high singing voices) of the 20th century. She is known as La Stupenda because of the great beauty of her singing, and she sang in opera houses all over the world from the 1950s to the 1980s.