Margaret Harshaw

Margaret Harshaw (12 May 1909 – 7 November 1997) was an American opera singer and voice teacher who sang for 22 consecutive seasons at the Metropolitan Opera from November 1942 to March 1964. She began her career as a mezzo-soprano in the early 1930s but then began performing roles from the soprano repertoire in 1950. She sang a total of 39 roles in 25 works at the Met and was heard in 40 of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.^[1] She was also active as a guest artist with major opera houses in Europe and North and South America.^[1]

Harshaw possessed a wide

Harshaw was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a family of Scottish and English descent, Harshaw had her earliest musical experiences singing in church choirs as a child. She often performed duets with her sister Miriam as well but never seriously contemplated a vocal career during her youth. After graduating from high school, she worked for a telephone company.^[2]

From 1928 to 1932, she was a member of the alto section of the

Harshaw made her professional opera debut with the Philadelphia Operatic Society as Azucena in

In 1935, Harshaw won the National Federation of Music Clubs singing competition which gave her a $1,000 cash prize and led to her New York City concert debut on July 21 of that year at Lewisohn Stadium under conductor José Iturbi.^[5] Later that summer she appeared in several operas with the Steel Pier Opera Company in Atlantic City.^[6] In 1936 she entered the graduate program at the Juilliard School where she studied voice with Anna Schoen-René who had been taught by the legendary Pauline Viardot, daughter of the Spanish singer and pedagogue Manuel García.^[1] While there she sang the role of Dido in a 1939 student production of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.^[7] Walter Damrosch attended the performance and approached her afterwards, saying "My child, one day you will be Brünnhilde".^[2] In 1940 she sang in productions of The Bartered Bride, Carmen, The Devil and Daniel Webster (opera), Le donne curiose, Faust, and The Gondoliers at the Chautauqua Opera.^[8] She also appeared frequently at the Worcester Music Festival during the early 1940s.

In 1942, Harshaw won the

Harshaw made her first foray into the soprano repertoire singing the role of Senta in The Flying Dutchman opposite Paul Schöffler in the title role on November 22, 1950. By 1954 she had completely left the mezzo repertoire, with the exception of Ortrud, and effectively succeeded Helen Traubel in the Wagnerian heroine roles of Brünnhilde, Elisabeth, Isolde, Kundry, and Sieglinde. Her only non-Wagnerian role during her soprano years at the Met was Donna Anna in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni. She remained with the Metropolitan until the close of the 1963–1964 season. Her final and 375th performance at the Met was as Ortrud on March 10, 1964 with Jess Thomas as Lohengrin, Leonie Rysanek as Elsa, and Joseph Rosenstock conducting.^[9]

During her many years at the Met, Harshaw was also active as a guest artist with opera houses throughout North America and Europe. She was committed to the

She was married to Oskar Eichna, who died on September 23, 1992. They had one son, Oskar L. Eichna Jr. (died 22 May 2003),[1] and a daughter Margaret Eichna (married name Baier – deceased 10 September 1993) {Obituary from the Chicago Tribune regarding Margaret Harshaw's daughters passing.} [1]

Death

Harshaw died at the age of 88 in Libertyville, Illinois.

References

External links

• Interview with Margaret Harshaw by Bruce Duffie, January, 1994