Sibyl Sanderson
Sibyl Sanderson
Sibyl Sanderson (December 7, 1864 – May 16, 1903) was a famous American operatic
dramatic coloratura soprano during the Parisian Belle Époque
.
Biography
She was born in
Southern Pacific Railroad. After his death in 1886, she and her mother and sisters moved back to Paris and became transplanted socialites. Sanderson proved to be a remarkably gifted singer and began to appear on the stages of the Opéra-Comique, and later Opéra, in Paris, most notably in the works of Jules Massenet. She was his favorite soprano and appeared in the premieres of a number of his operas, the roles having been created for her unique talents (her professional debut took place in Paris in the title role in Esclarmonde). She was also a famous interpreter of Manon
, Massenet's most enduring opera.
Sanderson was also admired by
Phryné for her. Success outside of Paris was elusive for Sanderson; she appeared at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera (debut in title role of Manon on January 16, 1895, the last performance as Juliette in Roméo et Juliette
on December 31, 1901) to lackluster reviews.
In 1897[1] she married a Cuban millionaire and sugar heir Antonio E. Terry (d. 1899), after which she temporarily halted her operatic activity, making an unsuccessful comeback two years later.
Her last years were marred by depression, alcoholism and illness and she died in Paris of a malignant influenza (pneumonia), at the age of thirty-eight.[2]
Sanderson was responsible for helping launch the career of another soprano made famous in the French repertoire, Mary Garden.
Roles created for Sanderson
- The title role in Esclarmonde by Massenet, on May 14, 1889
- The title role in Phryné by Saint-Saëns on May 24, 1893
- The title role in Thaïs by Massenet on March 16, 1894
Further reading
- Hansen, Jack Winsor (2004). The Sibyl Sanderson Story: Requiem For A Diva. Portland, OR: Cambridge: Amadeus Press. ISBN 1-57467-094-8.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sibyl Sanderson.
External links
- Sibyl Sanderson at Find a Grave – 1903 cremated remains buried in Paris
- Sibyl Sanderson at Find a Grave – remans re-interred in Minneapolis
