Edna de Lima (born Edna Burton; c. after 1875 – died after 1959), later known as Edna Burton Van Dyke, was an American lyric soprano singer and translator.

Early life

Edna O. Burton was from

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...

, the daughter of Dr. Enos G. Burton and Emma Jane Brown Burton. She took her professional name from her hometown. She studied voice in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

with Marcella Sembrich and

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

Career

Abroad

In 1910, Edna de Lima appeared in the operas ''

Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...

'', '' Gli Ugonotti'', '' Faust'' and '' La bohème'' at the Royal Opera House in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

in London. Edna de Lima debuted at the Imperial Opera House in Vienna in 1914. She sang a role in '' Faust'' again in London in 1923. In 1925, she traveled to South Africa for a performing tour.

In the United States

Edna de Lima first sang at New York's Aeolian Hall in 1916. She made her Chicago concert debut in 1917, when a reviewer declared that "Nature has been bounteous to Mme. de Lima in the bestowal of personal attractiveness and grace of manner in addition to the crystalline purity of her voice." She was billed as "formerly of the Vienna Opera" when she appeared at the Stadium Concerts in New York in the summer of 1918. She performed on a bill with pianist

Winifred Byrd Winifred Byrd (May 24, 1884 in Salem, Oregon – April 3, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) was an American concert pianist and educator. __NOTOC__ Byrd attended Willamette University and graduated from New England Conservatory (NEC) in 190 ...

, tenor Dan Beddoe, and violinist Michel Gusikoff, for the Globe Music Club later in 1918. She translated lyrics for recitalists, including Margaret Matzenauer. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she sang at concerts for the

Liberty Bond A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financia ...

Campaign, and for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Personal life

Edna Burton married

John Wesley Van Dyke John Wesley Van Dyke (1849–1939) was president of the Atlantic Refining Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1911 until 1927. After the break-up of Standard Oil Trust, Van Dyke led the debt-ridden Atlantic Refining Company into expanded mark ...

, an oil company executive, in Paris in 1908, on the condition that she be allowed to continue her singing career, because "the divine fire of music was in her blood and in her brain". She was not mentioned in Van Dyke's obituary in 1939. However, "Mrs. Edna Van Dyke" was mentioned as still alive and living in New York City in her sister Elma Burton Baxter's obituary in 1960."Mrs. Elma Baxter"
''Lima News'' (January 20, 1960).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeLima, Edna American opera singers American women in World War I People from Lima, Ohio 19th-century births 20th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 20th-century American people Singers from Ohio Classical musicians from Ohio