Vera Curtis | |
|---|---|
 Curtis as Aida in her professional debut at McVicker's Theater in Chicago, June 1910 | |
| Born | 1879 or 1880 Stratford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 82) Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupations | |
| Organizations | |
Vera C. Curtis (1879[1] or 1880[2] – February 6, 1962)[3] was an American soprano and voice teacher. Educated at the New England Conservatory and the Institute of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School), she was the first singer who was trained exclusively in the United States to become a principal singer at the Metropolitan Opera (Met);[4] performing with that company from 1912 through 1920.[3] She created roles in two world premieres staged at the Metropolitan Opera House: Lise in Damrosch's Cyrano in 1913 and Queen Carolina in Giordano's Madame Sans-Gêne in 1915. She remained active as an opera and concert singer in the 1920s, notably portraying the title role in Verdi's Aida for the inaugural performance of the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company in 1926. Her final appearance in an opera was as Venus in Wagner's Tannhäuser in a 1929 touring production of the opera staged by the Cincinnati Opera.
After retiring from the opera stage, Curtis continued to sing in a series of lecture-recitals which she presented in cities throughout the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1930 she began working as a voice teacher out of studios in Harlem and Port Chester, New York, and continued to work as a teacher of singing for over three decades. She ceased teaching in May 1961 just nine months before her death in February 1962 at the age of 82.
- ^ "Papers of Vera Curtis, 1907–1962". Schlesinger Library Archives. Harvard University.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ONwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Vera Curtis, Soprano, Dies at 82; Sang at the Met From '12 to '20". The New York Times. February 7, 1962. p. 37.
- ^ "Vera Curtis". Research Guides Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America; Musicians. Schlesinger Library, Harvard University. Retrieved September 13, 2023.