Consuelo Escobar ( San Luis Potosí, November 19, 1887 – October 30, 1967) was a Mexican soprano, teacher and businesswoman.

Biography

Escobar studied at the National Conservatory of Music, Mexico, and had Antonia Ochoa as singing teacher. After her graduation, she went to Italy where she was a student of Cottone teacher. On her return to Mexico, in 1910, she debuted at the Arbeu Theater in the world premiere of the Mexican opera ''Nicolás Bravo'', with libretto by Ignacio Mariscal, secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Porfirista cabinet, and music by Rafael J. Tello, playing María. With this composer she participated in the Compañía de Ópera Popular (1915) and at that time she joined the lyrical cuatro of the Compañía Impulsora de Ópera of José Pierson, with which she sang several times in the theaters Iris, Arbeu, Politeama and Nacional. Later, she was hired by the San Carlo Opera Company and the Ravigna Park of Chicago, with which she toured the United States in places such as Texas and New York, performing alongside figures such as

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and

Rosa Raisa Rosa Raisa (30 May 189328 September 1963) was a Polish-born and Italian-trained Russian-Jewish dramatic operatic soprano who became a naturalized American. She possessed a voice of remarkable power and was the creator of the title role of Pucci ...

. In the early years of the 1920s she created her own opera company, Compañía Consuelo Escobar, with which she performed numerous times in the country. Her husband, tenor Carlos Castro, and her sister, soprano María Luisa Escobar de Rocabruna also participated. During this period they made recordings in the United States in the Edison company. Her repertoire included characters from the operas '' Carmen'', ''

Dinorah ''Dinorah'', originally ''Le pardon de Ploërmel'' (''The Pardon of Ploërmel''), is an 1859 French opéra comique in three acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The story takes place near the rura ...

'', ''

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...

'', ''

Il barbiere di Siviglia ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based ...

'', '' L'elisir d'amore'', ''

La sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...

'', '' La traviata'', ''

Les contes d'Hoffman ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'', '' Les pêcheurs de perles'', ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoo ...

'' and ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

''. Her last recorded performance was in 1932 at the Teatro Esperanza Iris (currently called Teatro de la Ciudad) where she sang in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia''. The last years of her life she dedicated them to teaching. She was teacher of bel canto at the CNM (Conservatorio Nacional de Música) and was part of the editorial staff of the ''Cultural Musical'' magazine at the same conservatory. Her academic articles deal with musical pedagogy, vocal technique, critiques of opera presentations, and other topics related to her musical work. Among her disciples was singer Evangelina Magaña.

References

External links

*https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-10-10/ed-1/seq-46.pdf *https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1920-10-12/ed-1/seq-8.pdf *https://www.nytimes.com/1920/10/11/archives/spanish-soprano-to-sing-consuelo-escobar-will-make-her-debut-at-the.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051342/http://collectorsfrenzy.com/details/190673884095/Edison_60043_Consuelo_Escobar_De_Castro____E_________78s *http://arsc-audio.org/journals/v3/v03n2-3p59-78.pdf *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrjV1tPF5gM {{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar de Castro, Consuelo 1887 births 1967 deaths People from San Luis Potosí Mexican operatic sopranos 20th-century Mexican women opera singers