Antoinette Sterling was an Anglo-American vocalist born in Sterlingville, a community in the Town of Philadelphia

Philadelphia (town), New York

Philadelphia is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census.The Town of Philadelphia contains a village called Philadelphia...

 in Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...

.

She studied with Mme Marchesi

Mathilde Marchesi

Mathilde Marchesi was a German mezzo-soprano, a renowned teacher of singing, and a proponent of the bel canto vocal method.-Biography:...

, with Mme Viardot Garcia and with Manoel Garcia, and after singing for two years in America came in 1873 to England, where she made her first appearance at Covent Garden

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...

 under Sir Julius Benedict

Julius Benedict

Sir Julius Benedict was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career.-Life:...

 and rapidly became a popular favourite among the contralto

Contralto

Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...

s of the day.

She gained her greatest successes as a ballad-singer, especially in such songs as "Caller Herrin'," "The Three Fishers

Three Fishers

"Three Fishers" is a poem and a folk song written in 1851. The original poem was written by English poet, novelist and preacher, Charles Kingsley. It was first set to music by English composer John Hullah shortly thereafter...

" and "The Lost Chord

The Lost Chord

"The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later...

". She was a woman of deep religious feeling and many enthusiasms, and her name was constantly associated with philanthropic enterprise.

In 1875 she married John Mackinlay. She died on January 10, 1904 in Hampstead

Hampstead

Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. After her death, her son, Malcolm Sterling Mackinlay (1876–1952) wrote her life in Antoinette Sterling and Other Celebrities (1906 Hutchinson). Her son's daughter was the romance

Romance novel

The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...

 novelist Leila S. Mackinlay, named in her honour.