Maureen Forrester
Maureen Forrester | |
|---|---|
 Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester photo taken by Carl Van Vechten | |
| Born | Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester July 25, 1930 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | June 16, 2010 (aged 79) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1953–1983 |
| Spouse |
Eugene Kash
(m. 1957; div. 1974) |
| Children | 5; including Linda Kash and Daniel Kash |
Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, CC OQ (July 25, 1930 – June 16, 2010) was a Canadian operatic contralto.
Life and career
Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in Montreal, Quebec, one of four children of Thomas Forrester, a Scottish cabinetmaker, and his Irish-born wife, the former May Arnold. She sang in church and radio choirs. At age 13, she dropped out of school to help support the family, working as a secretary at Bell Telephone.[1]
When her brother came home from the war he persuaded her to take singing lessons. She paid for voice lessons with Sally Martin, Frank Rowe, and baritone Bernard Diamant. In the spring of 1951, Forrester appeared on the CBC radio talent competition Opportunity Knocks, singing "Ombra mai fu", and describing herself to the host as a "starving musician" and part-time switchboard operator.[2] She was ultimately named first runner-up, and later competed on the similar shows Singing Stars of Tomorrow, and Nos Futures Étoiles.
She gave her debut recital at the local YWCA in 1953. She made her concert debut in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Otto Klemperer.[3]
She toured extensively in Canada and Europe with Jeunesses Musicales. She made her New York City debut in Town Hall in 1956.[4] Bruno Walter invited her to sing for him; he was looking for the right contralto for a performance and recording of the Mahler Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection". This was the start of a warm relationship with great rapport. Walter had been a protégé of Mahler, and he trained Forrester in interpretation of his works. She performed at Walter's farewell performances with the New York Philharmonic in 1957.[5]
In 1957, she married the Toronto violinist and conductor Eugene Kash. The couple had five children, including actors Linda Kash and Daniel Kash. Forrester converted to Judaism.[6]
She performed regularly in concert and opera. At the New York City Opera, she sang Cornelia in Handel's Giulio Cesare (1966),[7] opposite Norman Treigle and Beverly Sills, which was recorded by RCA in 1967. She sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1975 in Das Rheingold (Erda),[8] Siegfried, and Un ballo in maschera.[9] Forrester also provided the voice of the Bianca Castafiore character in the television series The Adventures of Tintin. She was a strong champion of Canadian composers, regularly scheduling their works in her programs, especially when she toured abroad. A notable example is composer Donald Steven, whose work "Pages of Solitary Delights" (winner of the 1987 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year) was written for Ms. Forrester. From 1983-88 she served as Chair of the Canada Council.[10]
In 1986, she co-authored her autobiography, Out of Character (ISBN 0-7710-3228-5), with journalist Marci McDonald.[9]
Death
Maureen Forrester died on June 16, 2010, aged 79, in Toronto, after a long battle with dementia. She was predeceased by Eugene Kash, her former husband, whom she had divorced in 1974, and who died in 2004. She was survived by her five children.[9][3]
Honours
from 2000, on the Canada's Walk of Fame,
in Toronto, Ontario.
- In 1967, Forrester was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
- In 1969, Forrester received an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia University's founding institutions.[11]
- On April 8, 1969, Forrester was chosen to sing the Canadian national anthem at the first Montreal Expos regular-season baseball game, at Shea Stadium in New York City.
- In 1979, Forrester received the Loyola Medal from Concordia University.[12]
- In 1980, Forrester received the diplôme d'honneur from the Canadian Conference of the Arts
- In 1983, Forrester was awarded Yale University's Sanford Medal.[13][14]
- From 1986-90, Maureen Forrester was Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University; the University's recital hall is named in her honour.
- In 1990, Forrester was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (aka Juno Hall of Fame).
- In 1995, Forrester received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award.[15]
- In 1999, Forrester received the Order of Ontario.[3]
- In 2000, Forrester received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.[16]
- In 2003, Forrester was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
- In 2004, Forrester became a MasterWorks honouree by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.
See also
References
- ^ Obituary for Forrester Archived 2012-01-21 at the Wayback Machine, theglobeandmail.com; accessed June 23, 2015.
- ^ Mazey, Steven. "CBC Radio Honours the Best: Series Presents Performances and Profiles of the Greatest Canadian Musical Performers of the 20th Century. Steven Mazey Reports.: [Final Edition]." The Ottawa Citizen, Jul 04, 2000
- ^ a b c W.M. Macdonnell; Betty Nygaard King; Barbara Norman. "Maureen Forrester". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Downes, Edward (13 November 1956). "MISS FORRESTER IN DEBUT RECITAL; Canadian Contralto Displays Superb Voice--Poulenc and Britten Works Included". New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Taubman, Howard (15 February 1957). "Music: Mahler's Second; Symphony Is Directed by Bruno Walter". New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Conversion to Judaism, jam.canoe.ca, June 17, 2010; accessed June 22, 2015.
- ^ Peyser, Joan (25 September 1966). "She Waited for the Right Moment". New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Henaham, Donal (11 February 1975). "Opera: 'Das Rheingold,' Back at Met, in Near Magical Program". New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Brian Kellow. "Beloved contralto Maureen Forrester dies". Opera News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ Profile Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, CanadaCouncil.ca; accessed June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Honorary Degree Citation - Maureen Katherine Stewart Forrester* | Concordia University Archives". archives.concordia.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
- ^ "Maureen Forrester". www.concordia.ca. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Sleeman, Elizabeth (2001). The International Who's Who of Women 2002. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-85743-122-3.
- ^ Canadian Who's Who 2003, books.google.com.au; accessed June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Maureen Forrester biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ Canada's Walk of Fame: Maureen Forrester Archived 2006-10-30 at the Wayback Machine, canadaswalkoffame.com; accessed June 23, 2015.
External links
- AVTrust.ca - Maureen Forrester (video clip)
- Discography, galarecords.ca
- Interview with Maureen Forrester, November 21, 1988
- Maureen Forrester at IMDb
- The Adventures of Tintin on IMDb
- 1930 births
- 2010 deaths
- Canadian contraltos
- Canadian people of Irish descent
- Canadian people of Scottish descent
- Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Canadian university and college chancellors
- Companions of the Order of Canada
- Members of the Order of Ontario
- Operatic contraltos
- Officers of the National Order of Quebec
- Singers from Montreal
- Singers from Toronto
- Anglophone Quebec people
- Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music
- Jewish Canadian musicians
- Converts to Judaism
- Deaths from dementia in Canada
- Canadian women academics
- Women academic administrators
- Canadian academic administrators
- 20th-century Canadian women opera singers
- Governor General's Award winners