Pauline Donalda
Encyclopedia
Pauline Donalda, OC
(March 5, 1882 – October 22, 1970) was a Canadian
operatic soprano
.
Born Pauline Lightstone in Montreal
, Quebec
, she studied music at Royal Victoria College. In 1902 she studied in Paris and made her debut in 1904 in Nice
. In 1922, she opened a studio in Paris
and became a teacher. In 1937, she opened a studio in Montreal and in 1942 she founded the Opera Guild of Montreal. She served as president and artistic director until 1969.
In 1967, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
"for her contribution to the arts, especially opera, as a singer and founder of the Opera Guild in Montreal." http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1935
Pauline Donalda was the first to sing the roles of Concepción in Maurice Ravel
's L'heure espagnole
and Ah-joe in Franco Leoni
's L'Oracolo at Covent Garden.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(March 5, 1882 – October 22, 1970) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
operatic soprano
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...
.
Born Pauline Lightstone in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, she studied music at Royal Victoria College. In 1902 she studied in Paris and made her debut in 1904 in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. In 1922, she opened a studio in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and became a teacher. In 1937, she opened a studio in Montreal and in 1942 she founded the Opera Guild of Montreal. She served as president and artistic director until 1969.
In 1967, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
"for her contribution to the arts, especially opera, as a singer and founder of the Opera Guild in Montreal." http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1935
Pauline Donalda was the first to sing the roles of Concepción in Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
's L'heure espagnole
L'heure espagnole
L'heure espagnole is a one-act opera, described as a comédie musicale, with music by Maurice Ravel to a French libretto by Franc-Nohain, based on his play of the same name first performed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon on 28 October 1904...
and Ah-joe in Franco Leoni
Franco Leoni
Franco Leoni was an Italian opera composer. After training in Milan, he made most of his career in England, composing for Covent Garden and West End theatres. He is best known for the opera L'Oracolo, written for Covent Garden but taken up successfully by the Metropolitan Opera in New York...
's L'Oracolo at Covent Garden.
External links
- The Virtual Gramophone's Pauline Lightstone Donalda biography
- Pauline Donalda at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...