Editing Isabel Jay (section)

===Early life and D'Oyly Carte years===
Jay was born in [[Wandsworth]], London, the youngest child of John Wimburn Jay, an insurance officer, and his wife Isabelle Clara (Wicks). She was the great-granddaughter of John George Henry Jay (1770–1849), a musician and composer connected with the [[Royal Academy of Music]]. She began to sing in public at the age of twelve. She entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1895, where she studied piano and voice. In 1897, she was the first winner of the [[Gilbert Betjemann Prize|Gilbert R. Betjemann gold medal]] for operatic singing. While still at the Academy, she drew the attention of [[Helen Carte]].<ref name=GSNews>Cannon, John. "Isabel Jay", ''Gilbert and Sullivan News'', The Gilbert and Sullivan Society (London), Vol. V, No. 10, Spring 2016, pp. 14–17</ref>

[[Image:Jay as Mabel.jpg|right|thumb|upright|as Mabel in ''Pirates'']]
On leaving the Academy, in 1897, she joined the [[D'Oyly Carte Opera Company]] with a week-long trial at the [[Savoy Theatre]], singing the part of Elsie Maynard in the first London revival of ''[[The Yeomen of the Guard]]''. She immediately became principal [[soprano]] in a D'Oyly Carte touring company, playing the roles of Elsie, Phyllis in ''[[Iolanthe]]'', Yum-Yum in ''[[The Mikado]]'', Princess Lucilla Chloris in ''[[His Majesty (comic opera)|His Majesty]]'', and later adding the roles of Aline in ''[[The Sorcerer]]'', and Mabel in ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''.<ref name=WhoWasWho>Stone, David. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160920193314/http://www.gilbertandsullivanarchive.org/whowaswho/I-J/JayIsabel.htm "Isabel Jay"]}}, Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 28 January 2002, accessed 29 August 2016</ref> A reviewer for ''[[The Era (newspaper)|The Era]]'' wrote of her Mabel: "Miss Isabel Jay's bright, alert acting and fascinating personality would have condoned many deficiencies. But in addition to winning all hearts by her freshness and earnestness, Miss Jay gave us a delightfully easy and accomplished rendering of her share of the score, and the way in which she used a very valuable voice told of sound training and keen intelligence."<ref name=Higgins>Higgins, Sydney. [http://www.the-camerino-players.com/britishtheatre/IsabelJay.html "Isabel Jay"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004094614/http://the-camerino-players.com/britishtheatre/IsabelJay.html |date=4 October 2009 }}, ''The Golden Age of British Theatre (1880–1920)'', TheCamerinoPlayers.com, 2009, 29 August 2016</ref>

Jay rejoined the main D'Oyly Carte company at the Savoy in 1898, briefly playing Gianetta and then Casilda in ''[[The Gondoliers]]'', and soon took over the role of The Plaintiff in ''[[Trial by Jury]]'', winning a favourable review in ''The Sunday Times''. In early 1899, she created the small role of Aloës in ''[[The Lucky Star]]'', and she then filled in for [[Ruth Vincent]] for 21 performances as Josephine in ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'', as well as performing again as The Plaintiff.<ref name=WhoWasWho/>