Nita Carritte (c.1877-1929) was an operatic soprano from Halifax, Nova Scotia who toured as prima donna of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and Castle Square Opera Company. Her signature role was Carmen. [1] [2] [3]
Nita Carritte (c.1877-1929) was an operatic soprano from Halifax, Nova Scotia who toured as prima donna of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and Castle Square Opera Company. Her signature role was Carmen. [1] [2] [3]
When she was a child she moved with her parents to Virginia, where her father died. Her mother moved them to New York, where she studied with Emilio Belari (1885-1887). [4] [5]
According to the Musical Courier, she was the “favourite pupil” of Mme Anna de La Grange and Mathilde Marchesi in Paris. Composer Charles Gounod wrote that she “possesses a charming voice, charming execution and a charming nature.” [6] [7] She played Marguerite in his Faust and Juliette in his Roméo et Juliette .
She also worked with Sir Augustus Harris in London. Her first appearance in London was as Micaëla, A Village Maiden, in Carmen at Covent Garden (1890). She then worked for D’Oyly at the Savoy Theatre with Thomas Thorne to replace Esther Palliser as Gianetta, Contadina, in The Gondoliers (1891). [8] [9] On 5th Jan 1891 Nita Carritte started to play the role of Gianetta, giving around 54 performances, until 27 February. [10]
After 15 months, she returned to Paris to study acting at the Grand Opera, Paris with Mad. Marchesi and receiving the advice of Jules Massenet.
In 1893-1895, she joined Duff’s English Opera Company in America. She sang the prima donna parts in Faust, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci and Carmen across the United States.
In 1895, she joined Carl Ross Co. again and appeared in England as Carmen. The May 12 edition of the Edinburgh Evening News wrote: “Her performance was almost flawless…. As a singer Mlle. Carritta should be another triumph for the Carl Rosa Company.” [11]
Carritte returned to America for the 1897-98 season, appearing in New York with the Castle Square Opera Company in revivals of The Queen's Lace Handkerchief, The Fencing Master, and The Gypsy Baron. [12] [13] [14]
She also found favour with Isabella II of Spain. She also sung frequently at the Palace de Castile, on the Avenue de Kieber, in Paris. She also sung at the Rothschilds in London and Paris. As well as at the homes of Gounod and Massenet in Paris and the homes of Duchess of Newcastle’s, Lady Anna Brassey, Lady Goldsmith and others. [15]
Charles-François Gounod, usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859); his Roméo et Juliette (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his "Ave Maria" and "Funeral March of a Marionette".
Mary Garden was a Scottish-American operatic lyric soprano, then mezzo-soprano with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her childhood and youth in the United States and eventually became an American citizen, although she lived in France for many years and eventually retired to Scotland, where she spent the last 30 years of her life and died.
Emma Eames was an American first dramatic soprano, later lyric soprano renowned for the beauty of her voice. She sang major lyric and lyric-dramatic roles in opera and had an important career in New York City, London and Paris during the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century.
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Hariclea Darclée was a celebrated Romanian operatic spinto soprano of Greek descent who had a three-decade-long career.
Margaret Valerie Masterson is a retired English opera singer, a lecturer and Vice-President of British Youth Opera. After study in Italy, she began to sing opera in Europe. Returning to England, Masterson performed as principal soprano with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1964 to 1969, becoming popular with audiences and participating in several of the company's recordings, as well as those of Gilbert and Sullivan for All and the BBC.
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Elsie Griffin was an English opera singer, best known for her performances in the soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
Julia Goss, was a Scottish singer and actress best known for her performances in the principal soprano roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. She joined that company in 1967, remaining with them until 1979.
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William Martin was an American classical tenor. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, he studied singing with Leveret Merrill, A Sujol, and Florence Holtzman. A graduate of Harvard University, he was for many years a member of the Harvard Glee Club. He was trained as an opera singer by Estelle Liebling, the teacher of Beverly Sills, in New York City. He made his professional opera debut in 1923 in the title role of Jules Massenet's Werther. He was committed to the Opéra-Comique in Paris from 1925 to 1929 where he notably sang the role of Philipp in the world premiere of Lucien Chevaillier's Le poème du soir. In 1927 he and Mary McCormic became the first two Americans to appear in leading roles at the Opéra National de Paris, respectively portraying the title role and the role of Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust. In 1929 he had a major success at the Palais Garnier as the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto. In 1930 he sang Romeo to Grace Moore's Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. Martin is best remembered today for creating the role of Amelia's lover in the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball on 1 April 1937 at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
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Cristina Pasaroiu is a Romanian operatic soprano who has performed leading roles at major European opera houses, with a focus on French repertoire such as Bizet's Micaëla, Massenet's Manon and Gounod's Juliette.
Andréa Guiot was a French operatic soprano. A long-term member of the Paris opera houses, she was known internationally for leading roles especially in the French repertoire, such as Gounod's Mireille and Marguerite, Massenet's Manon and Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen. She appeared as Micaëla when Carmen was first performed at the Opéra de Paris in 1959, and as Mireille in the 1000th performance of the opera at the Opéra-Comique. She performed in the world premiere of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in 1965. Among her many recordings, the 1964 Carmen conducted by Georges Prêtre, with Maria Callas in the title role and Nicolai Gedda as her lover, brought her lasting fame. She appeared at major opera house in France, Europe, and the Americas. After retiring from the stage, she was a voice teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris, succeeding Janine Micheau, her own former instructor.
Renée Gilly was a French operatic mezzo-soprano. She was a long-time principal member of the Opéra-Comique, where she performed leading roles such as Massenet's Charlotte, Mascagni's Santuzza, and Bizet's Carmen. She appeared in world premieres and sang as a guest at major opera houses in Europe.
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Yvonne Dubel (1881–1958) was a French operatic soprano from Rennes. After completing her studies at the city's Conservatoire, she débuted in 1904 at the Paris Opera as Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin. In March 1911 at the Monte Carlo Opera, she created the role of Iole in Déjanire by Saint-Saëns. In addition to guest appearances in the French provinces (1907–1912), she performed in countries across Europe, including Belgium, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands.
Marguerite Vaillant-Couturier was a French soprano who made her debut in Brussels at La Monnaie in 1880 in the title role of Gounod's Mireille. After appearing in Marseille the following year, she sang in operettas in Paris in the early 1880s. On 19 October 1882, she created the role of Micaëla in Lecocq's Le cœur et la main at the Théâtre des Nouveautés in Paris. In 1888, she gained success in the title role of Bizet's Carmen at the Opéra-Comique. She also appeared in Buenos Aires and Saint Petersburg.