Claude Albright

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Claude Albright
Black and white portrait photograph of opera singer Claude Albright
Claude Albright in 1903
Born(1873-06-05)5 June 1873
Howard, Kansas
Died26 June 1923(1923-06-26) (aged 50)
Saint Helena, California
NationalityAmerican
EducationVassar College
Occupationopera singer

Claude Elwood Albright Roberts (June 5, 1873 – June 26, 1923) was an American opera singer, generally classified as a mezzo-soprano. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico Territory, and was recognized as New Mexico's most famous singer during the early 20th century.[1] She performed with various opera companies during her career, most notably the Carl Rosa Opera Company in the United Kingdom.

Early life[edit]

Albright was born in Howard, Kansas in 1873. Her parents were John G. Albright, a newspaperman who later owned the Albuquerque Journal, and Franc Luse Albright, a photographer. The family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1880, and then Albuquerque in 1882.[2] She attended St. Vincent's Academy in Albuquerque, the Kenwood Institute in Chicago, and Vassar College.[3]

Opera career[edit]

After leaving Vassar, she went with her mother to Paris, where she took voice lessons from Anna de La Grange[4] and then joined the Opéra-Comique in 1901.[5] At the time, she was one of only five Americans to have performed there, along with other notable singers like Mary Garden and Sibyl Sanderson.[6] In 1903, she returned to the United States and joined Henry Wilson Savage's Castle Square Opera Company,[7] where she toured nationally in various productions, mostly English-language versions of famous operas. Her best-known roles with the company were as Kundry in Parsifal and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre.[8][9][10]

In 1910 she returned to Europe, joining the Stadtheater Bremen and then the influential Carl Rosa Opera Company in London.[11] In Britain she received favorable reviews in a number of leading roles including Azucena in Il trovatore, Ortrud in Lohengrin, and the title role in Mignon.[12][13][14] She then came back to the United States in 1912, spending a season with the Aborn Opera Company.[15] Albright's mother and aunt both died in 1912–13 and she had to take time away from the opera to help settle their estates.[16]

She performed at the Panama–California Exposition in San Diego in 1915[17][18] and then joined the La Scala Grand Opera Company in Los Angeles for the 1916 season.[19] In 1917 she married Edward W. Roberts, a construction engineer, and largely retired from touring.[20] She died in 1923 of suspected heart failure and was buried at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque.[21]

Recordings[edit]

In 1918, Albright made three recordings for Edison Records, which were released as Edison Disc Records under the name Claudia Albright:[22]

  • La Partida (Edison 6046)
  • Clavelitos (Edison 6051)
  • Habanera (Edison 6057)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Thousands Hear Miss Claude Albright in an Open Air Concert Tonight". Albuquerque Journal. October 2, 1915. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "J. G. Albright, Pioneer Here, Dies, Aged 82". Albuquerque Journal. February 23, 1931. Retrieved September 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Mrs. Claude Albright Roberts Dies Suddenly in California; Body Will Arrive Here Sunday". Albuquerque Journal. June 28, 1923. Retrieved September 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Madame de la Grange, Paris". Musical Courier. December 26, 1895. Retrieved October 3, 2020 – via Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Praise for Albuquerquean". Albuquerque Journal. August 25, 1901. Retrieved September 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "The Stage". Munsey's Magazine. 26 (5). Frank A. Munsey Company: 738. February 1902.
  7. ^ "Castle Square Opera Company to Offer New Prima Donna". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 29, 1903. Retrieved September 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Still Another Kundry: Miss Albright's Impressive Performance of the Role Yesterday". Kansas City Star. March 19, 1905. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Simpson, George E. (January 24, 1915). "Miss Claude Albright Has Succeeded in Many Parts". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "'Faust' and the 'Valkyrie'". Kansas City Star. April 1, 1906. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Carl Rosa Opera Company". Opera Scotland. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Carl Rosa Opera Company in 'Lohengrin'". The Guardian. December 5, 1911. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Press of England Warmly Praised Miss Albright". Albuquerque Journal. August 21, 1912. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Claude Albright's Splendid Career". Pacific Coast Musical Review. 30 (12): 8. June 17, 1916. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  15. ^ "Claude Albright Is Home for Vacation". Albuquerque Evening Herald. July 19, 1913. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Grand Opera Star Here for Settlement of Estate". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 12, 1914. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Fair Throng Won by New Mexico Songbird". San Diego Union. October 1, 1915. p. 7. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Amero, Richard W. "Chapter 4: 1915—San Diego's Year of Glory". Balboa Park History (PDF).
  19. ^ "Eminent Artists to Appear Here in La Scala Company". Los Angeles Express. January 8, 1916. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Claude Elwood Married". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1917. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Mrs. Claude Albright Roberts' Funeral Is To Be Held Tomorrow". Albuquerque Journal. July 3, 1923. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Claudia Albright". Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
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