Caroline Richings by Fredricks & Co

Caroline Richings (1827-1882); English/American soprano.
She was born in England as Mary Caroline Reynoldson, but as a child she came with her adoptive parents to the USA and received the name of her adoptive father ( the actor Peter Richings). She showed very early a special musical talent. She started her musical studies as a pianist and in 1847 she gave her first piano concert at Philadelphia. When her beautiful voice was discovered, she started a second career as an opera and concert singer. In 1852 she sang the role of Marie in “La fille du regiment” at the Walnut Street Theatre Philadelphia. In that same year she also sang here the role of Luisa Miller in the American premiere of Verdi’s eponymous opera. In 1859 she joined the “Richings Grand Opera Company”, that was founded by her father and the following years they toured the USA with this company. In 1867 she married the impresario and tenor Peter Bernard; with him she founded the Richings-Bernard Opera Company (at the same time taking over her father’s company). When in the 1870’s her rival soprano Clara Louise Kellogg with her company started to poach her best singers, the Richings-Bernard Company soon collapsed. In 1874/75 she appeared at the Richings Old Folk Company and at the end of her career she appeared at Baltimore where she gave concerts and staged small opera productions. Her last stage performance was in August 1881 in the operetta “The Duchess” composed by herself.