Rosa Olitzka

Rosa Olitzka (September 6, 1873 – September 29, 1949) was a German-born contralto singer. She sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1895 to 1901, and with the Chicago Opera from 1910 to 1911.

Rosa Olitzka
Rosa Olitzka, from a 1903 publication.
BornSeptember 6, 1873
Berlin
DiedSeptember 29, 1949
Chicago
NationalityGerman, American
Other namesRosa Olitzka Sinai, Rose Olitzka
Occupationopera singer
Years active1890s-1920s

Early life

Rosa Olitzka was born in Berlin; her parents were Jewish immigrants[1] from Poland.[2] Her father, Joseph Olitzki, was a cantor.[3][4] She studied voice with Julius Hey in Berlin, and with Désirée Artôt de Padilla in Paris.[5] She also studied piano.[6]

Career

Olitzka made her opera debut in 1892, in Brno. She sang at the Court Theatre in Hanover, at the Municipal Theatre in Hamburg, and at the Court Opera in Dresden. At the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden, she appeared in Siegfried (1893), Orfeo ed Eurydice (1894), Otello (1895), Lohengrin (1895 and 1907), Faust (1895), Tannhäuser (1895), Die Walküre (1895, 1900, and 1907), Carmen (1897), Götterdämmerung (1900), Rigoletto (1901), and Aida (1905).[7][8]

Olitzka sang at the 1896 funeral of William Steinway, in New York City.[9] She first performed opera in the United States with the Damrosch Opera Company, and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera from 1895 to 1901. From 1902 to 1910, she was in Europe, singing in various German cities, as well as Brussels, Paris, and in Milan, at La Scala. She sang with the Chicago Opera from 1910 to 1911. Her Chicago manager was Vera Brady Shipman.[10][11] In 1915 she toured Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas, giving concerts.[12][13] She made dozens of recordings, mostly on the Columbia label, including several duets with soprano Bernice de Pasquali.[14][15] "Mme. Olitzka has a marvelously sweet yet strong voice and produces wondrously beautiful tones in her work," commented one reviewer. "Dramatic in manner as she sings, her vocal efforts are most charming. Her voice is perfect in a compass of three full octaves from low C to high C."[16]

She had a famous collection of jewelry, including a diamond pin given to her by Queen Victoria for her work, and a medal from Kaiser Wilhelm.[17] She was the victim of several publicized episodes of theft or robbery later in life, in 1920,[18] 1930,[19] and 1937.[20]

Personal life

Rosa Olitzka married Boris J. Sinai, a Russian-born insurance agent, in 1908.[3] She was widowed when he died in 1919. She died from a heart attack in 1949, aged 76 years, in her Chicago home.[21][22][23]

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References
  1. "Rosa Olitzka, Contralto". Newton Kansan. April 8, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Krzywicki, Paul (2016-03-16). From Paderewski to Penderecki: The Polish Musician in Philadelphia. ISBN 9781483442679.
  3. "Untitled news item". The American Israelite. April 2, 1908. p. P6. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Baltzell, Winton James (1914). Baltzell's Dictionary of Musicians: Containing Concise Biographical Sketches of Musicians of the Past and Present : with the Pronunciation of Foreign Names [and] with a Supplement of Over Two Hundred Names. Oliver Ditson Company.
  5. Arakelyan, Ashot (2014-10-25). "Rosa Olitzka (Mezzo-Soprano) (Berlin 1873 - Chicago 1949)". Forgotten Opera Singers. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  6. "Rosa Olitzka". Musical Courier. 31: 108. December 12, 1895.
  7. Wearing, J. P. (2013-11-21). The London Stage 1890-1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. pp. 208, 269–270, 357–358. ISBN 9780810892828.
  8. Wearing, J. P. (2013-12-05). The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. pp. 22, 57, 245, 327. ISBN 9780810892941.
  9. "William Steinway's funeral | The William Steinway Diary: 1861-1896". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  10. "Rosa Olitzka". Music News. April 13, 1917. p. 19. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  11. R. H. (May 18, 1917). "A Social Musicale". Music News. p. 9. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  12. "Mme. Olitzka Completes Tour". Musical America. 22: 38. June 12, 1915.
  13. "Mme. Olitzka Made a Hit". The Daily Gazette. January 26, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Olitzka, Rosa". cantabile-subito. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  15. "Rosa Olitzka (vocalist : contralto)". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  16. "Mme. Olitzka Sings to Appreciative Audience". Asbury Park Press. August 23, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Ysaye Recital Brilliant Affair". The Charlotte Observer. January 1, 1913. p. 6. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Singer in Court". The Evening Sun. January 7, 1920. p. 2. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Chicago Woman Robbed of $8,000 in Jewels". The Tribune. July 31, 1930. p. 6. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Burglar Gets Pin Princess Gave to Singer". Chicago Tribune. January 22, 1937. p. 31. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. Forbes, Elizabeth. "Rosa Olitzka" (1992) Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press 2002).
  22. "Rosa Olitzka, 76, Once with Opera". The New York Times. October 1, 1949. p. 13 – via ProQuest.
  23. "Mme. Olitzka, Ex-Opera Star, Dies in Home". Chicago Tribune. September 30, 1949. p. 22. Retrieved August 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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