Florence Kirk
Encyclopedia
Florence Kirk was an American soprano
. Raised in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Kirk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1931 with degrees in music and education. She then entered the Curtis Institute of Music
where she studied opera
. She made her professional opera debut in 1937 portraying the title role in Gian Carlo Menotti
's Amelia Goes to the Ball
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
. She was a member of the Civic Grand Opera Company in Philadelphia between 1937-1938 where she sang such roles as Ines in Il trovatore
and the title role in Aida
. She was also active with the New Opera Company in New York City during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Kirk went on to perform with several important American orchestras and opera companies during the 1940s. She performed for many years as a leading artist with the Charles L. Wagner Opera Company. In 1942 she was the soprano soloist for the Philadelphia Orchestra
's recording of Felix Mendelssohn
's A Midsummer Night's Dream with conductor Arturo Toscanini
and contralto Edwina Eustis. She also sang under Toscanini's baton in several performances with the New York Philharmonic
. On November 29, 1944 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
as Donna Anna in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's Don Giovanni
with Ezio Pinza
in the title role, Eleanor Steber
as Donna Elvira, and George Szell
conducting. She returned to the Met annually through 1948, enjoying particular success in the role of Aida. On the international stage, she performed as a guest artist at the Teatro Colón and the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1954 Kirk retired from the stage and moved with her second husband, Mr. Keppel, to Carroll County, Maryland
. She lived there for the rest of her life, dedicating her time to her family and teaching singing. She died of Alzheimer's disease
at the age of 90.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. Raised in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
, Kirk graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1931 with degrees in music and education. She then entered the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
where she studied opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. She made her professional opera debut in 1937 portraying the title role in Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
's Amelia Goes to the Ball
Amelia Goes to the Ball
Amelia Goes to the Ball is an opera buffa in one act composed by Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti also wrote the original Italian libretto. Composed when he was twenty-three, it was Menotti's first mature opera and his first critical success...
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
. She was a member of the Civic Grand Opera Company in Philadelphia between 1937-1938 where she sang such roles as Ines in Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
and the title role in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
. She was also active with the New Opera Company in New York City during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Kirk went on to perform with several important American orchestras and opera companies during the 1940s. She performed for many years as a leading artist with the Charles L. Wagner Opera Company. In 1942 she was the soprano soloist for the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
's recording of Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's A Midsummer Night's Dream with conductor Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
and contralto Edwina Eustis. She also sang under Toscanini's baton in several performances with the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. On November 29, 1944 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
as Donna Anna in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
with Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza
Ezio Pinza was an Italian basso opera singer with a rich, smooth and sonorous voice. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 performances of 50 operas...
in the title role, Eleanor Steber
Eleanor Steber
Eleanor Steber was an American operatic soprano. Steber is noted as one of the first major opera stars to have achieved the highest success with training and a career based in the United States.-Biography:...
as Donna Elvira, and George Szell
George Szell
George Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
conducting. She returned to the Met annually through 1948, enjoying particular success in the role of Aida. On the international stage, she performed as a guest artist at the Teatro Colón and the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1954 Kirk retired from the stage and moved with her second husband, Mr. Keppel, to Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
. She lived there for the rest of her life, dedicating her time to her family and teaching singing. She died of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
at the age of 90.
Sources
- Metropolitan Opera Archives
- Wife of Berks Man to Sing In Leading Role in Opera Here, Reading EagleReading EagleThe Reading Eagle is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the United States. This family-owned newspaper has a daily circulation of 64,000 and a Sunday circulation of 100,000...
, September 24, 1946