| Eileen Farrell |
Article Index for Eileen |
Website Links For Eileen |
Information AboutEileen Farrell |
|
Eileen Farrell ( February 13 , 1920 - March 23 , 2002 ) was a famous American Opera and concert singer Soprano . During her career, Farrell was greatly admired as an opera singer, but she preferred the concert hall and radio to the theater. Farrell was born in Willimantic, Connecticut ; her parents were Vaudeville singers. In 1942 she made her concert debut on CBS radio where she soon presented her own radio program. During 1947-1948, she toured the US as a concert singer, and in 1949 she toured South America . Farrell's song recital in New York in October 1950 was enthusiastically acclaimed and secured for her immediate recognition. That year, she also appeared in a concert performance Berg's '' Wozzeck '' as Marie. Subsequently she was engaged by Toscanini for a performance of Beethoven 's Ninth Symphony with the NBC Symphony Orchestra . In the 1955 film '' Interrupted Melody '', which starred Eleanor Parker as Australian soprano Marjorie Lawrence , Farrell's voice was used for the singing parts while Parker lip-synched. In 1956 she made her stage debut as Santuzza in Mascagni 's '' Cavalleria Rusticana '' with the San Carlo Opera in Tampa, Florida . In 1958 she appeared with the San Francisco Opera and in 1957 sang with the Lyric Opera Of Chicago . She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in December 1960 singing Gluck 's '' Alceste '', and remained on the Met roster until 1964; then returned in 1965-1966. Throughout the 1960s she was a frequent soloist with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein ; she was also a favourite of Thomas Schippers . From 1971 to 1980, Farrell was professor of music at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington . From 1983 to 1985, she was professor of music at the University Of Maine in Orono . She also made several recordings of blues music late in her career. She published a memoir, ''Can't Help Singing,'' in 1999. Farrell was married to a New York City policeman. EXTERNAL LINK |
|
|