Genia Fonariova was born in Odessa, and began her music career in Petrograd, Russia.[1] She also performed in Brussels and London[2][3] before moving to New York City during World War I.[4]
Career in the United States
In 1916 Fonariova was part of a program at the Manhattan Opera House with pianist Leo Ornstein and conductor Oscar Spirescu.[5] Fonariova sang in a Russian-themed fundraising concert for Liberty Bonds in 1918, at Carnegie Hall, sharing the bill with Sergei Prokofiev, among others.[6] She gave a recital at New York's Aeolian Hall in 1920,[7] a performance that caused a New York Times writer to say that "Her concert was a welcome reminder that Russian music is not merely a reflection of nature, but a crystallization in art of the spirit of a great, humble people."[4]
In 1921-1922, she toured the United States, including autumn festivals in Maine.[8] She sang at free summer concerts in Central Park in 1924.[9] In 1931, she gave a concert at New York's Town Hall.[10] She was heard in radio concerts regularly[11] in the late 1920s[12] and through the 1930s.[13]
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