Catherine Newsome Jewell | |
|---|---|
 Jewell on the cover of Musical Advance, December 1924 | |
| Born | 1868 or 1869 |
| Died | 16 July 1936 Venice, California |
| Occupations |
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Catharine Newsome Jewell (1868/69-1936) was an American soprano and voice teacher. Decorated on several occasions by the Italian government for charity work, [1] she had one of the largest collections of medals, ribbons and other decorations possessed by any musical artist of her era.
Catharine (or Catherine) [2] Newsome was born in 1868 or 1869. [2] [3] [4]
She belonged to the school of celebrità, with the experience of studying under the great singing masters of her era both in the U.S. and Europe, including Franz Xavier Arens, Marcel Chadeigne, Marcelle Demougeot, Herman Devries, Emma Nevada, Jean de Reszke, Tullio Serafin, and Maria Laura Vimercati of Milan. [1] [5] [6]
Jewell had a career of singing in Europe for 12 years. [1] She then returned to the U.S., where she appeared in an extensive tour of concerts and recitals.
In 1904, she toured with the Ben-Hur Opera Company. [7] In 1906, she was performing in Columbus, Georgia, having left the Ben-Hur Opera Company. [8]
She returned to New York City in January 1925 to sing at the Town Hall for the benefit of a fresh-air home at Sestola, Italy, for children from Bologna, Padua, and Parma. The New York Times review regarding that performance mentioned that, "Jewell's singing, despite nervous uncertainties of pitch, was marked by refinement and mature sympathy". [9] In the following year, a review in the February issue of Musical Advance stated that "... Jewell has a voice of good texture that suffers from faulty breathing, capricious pitch, and a poor sense of rhythm." [10]
In 1908, the Musical Courier reported that Jewell, formerly a teacher of singing at the Brenan Conservatory at Gainesville, Georgia, had left Paris for Florence, where she was expected to stay for a long period. [11] In 1921, she opened a studio in Kansas City, Kansas, [6] and later in the decade, served as professor of voice in Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. [12]
By 1928, Jewell had removed to Los Angeles, [12] where she was affiliated with the Motion Picture Extra Girls' Frolic. [1] She lived in the Waldorf Hotel in Venice, California; [2] her studio was located in the Beaux Arts Building, Los Angeles. Having spent twenty years in the musical life of Europe as student and a prima donna, she was equipped to give pupils the discipline and schooling obtained by study with European masters. [5] She was an authority and devotee of bel canto. [5] [13]
Jewell did a great deal of charity work in Italy on behalf of children and orphans who were victims of World War II; she was decorated on several occasions by the Italian government for her efforts in this and similar causes, and for distinguished service in the Italian Red Cross. [5]
Jewell died in Venice on July 16, 1936, a victim of a car accident. [2] [14]
Jewell had one of the largest collections of medals, ribbons and other decorations possessed by any musical artist of her era. [5]
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