Mary Garden

Mary Garden
(20 February 1874 – 3 January 1967)
Scottish-American Soprano

Studied with Sarah Robinson-Duff in Chicago In 1896 further studies in Paris, Trabadelo ,Lucien Fugere ,Jacques Bouhy ,Jules Chevalier, Mathilde Marchesi and Sybil Sanderson .Garden made her professional opera debut with the company on 10 April 1900 in the title role of Louise in "Louise" by Charpentier.In 1901 she starred in two world premieres, Marie in "La Marseillaise" by Lambert and Diane in "La file de Tabarin" by Pierne. That same year she sang the title role in Massenet's " Thais" at Aix-les-Bains, and sang both the title roles in Massenet's "Manon" and Messager's "Madam Chrysantheme" at the Opera de Monte Carlo of Sanderson. In 1902, Claude Debussy selected her to play the female lead at the Opéra-Comique debut of his "Pelleas et Melisande". She also created a sensation as "Salome" in the French version of Richard Strauss's opera of that name. At Covent Garden she sang Manon, Juliette in Gounod's 'Romeo et Juliette", and Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust" during the 1902 and 1903 seasons.. Her performances at the Opéra-Comique during this time included the title role in Massenet's "Griselidis" (1902), Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviatta" (1903), the title role in the world premiere of Xavier Leroux's "La reine Flamette" (1903), and the title role in Saint Seans's "Helene" (1905). In 1905 she sang at the Opera de Monte Carlo in the world premiere of Massenet's "Cherubin" a role which the composer wrote specifically for her. The following year she returned to the Opéra-Comique to sing Chrysis in the world premiere of Camille Erlanger's "Aphrodite".She made her American debut in the Manhattan Opera House on 25 November 1907 in the title role in "Thais, and in Massenet's 'Le jonglur de Notre Dame" (1908) and in the United States premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande. In 1908 she returned to Paris to join the roster at the Opera National Paris. She sang there for one season, notably portraying Ophelia in Thomas's "Hamlet" (1908) and the title part in Henry Fevrier's "Monna Vanna" (1909) among other roles. She also sang the role of Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust" (1909) in Brussells. Returned to New York in 1909 to perform the title role in Richard Strauss's "Salome" ,At Chicargo Grand Opera where she sang from 1910 to 1913 in such roles as Mélisande, Fanny in Massenet's "Sapho", Dulcinée in Massenet's "Don Quichotte", the Prince in Massenet's "Cendrillon", the title role inBixet's "Carmen", title role in Puccini's "Tosca". During this time she also sang in other American cities, notably appearing in the world premiere of Vicotr Herbert's 'Natoma" in Philadelphia on 25 February 1911

Garden retired from the opera stage in 1934, after making her last appearance as Katyusha in Franco Alfano's Risurrezione at the Opéra-Comique