Maureen Forrester
Maureen Forrester | |
---|---|
Born | Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester July 25, 1930 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Died | June 16, 2010 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | (aged 79)
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,
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
She toured extensively in Canada and Europe with Jeunesses Musicales. She made her
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
In 1986, she co-authored her autobiography, Out of Character (
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
- 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
- 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[usurped], 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.
- 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