Walker, Edyth

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Walker, Edyth

Walker, Edyth, American mezzo-soprano; b. Hopewell, N.Y., March 27, 1867; d. N.Y., Feb. 19, 1950. She studied singing with Aglaja Orgeni at the Dresden Cons. She made her debut as Fidés in Le Prophèteat the Berlin Royal Opera on Nov. 11,1894. She was a member of the Vienna Court Opera (1895-1903) and made her debut at London’s Covent Garden as Amneris in 1900. She made her U.S. debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. (Nov. 30, 1903), remaining on its roster until 1906, singing soprano as well as mezzo-soprano roles; also sang both mezzo-soprano and soprano roles at the Hamburg Opera (1903-12); was the first London Electra (1910). After singing at the Bayreuth and Munich Festivals (1912-17), she turned to private teaching and was on the faculty of the American Cons, in Fontainebleau (1933-36) before settling in N.Y.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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