Georgina Ann Stirling (April 3, 1867 – April 23, 1935) was a

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer, known by her stage name Marie Toulinquet. Born in

Twillingate Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands ("Toulinquet") in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is about north of ...

, in

, she became a world-renowned

prima donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pers ...

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

who played in opera houses throughout Europe and United States. She was Newfoundland's first opera singer and became known as ''The Nightingale of the North.''

Life and career

Stirling is the daughter of Ann (Peyton) and William Stirling. She was educated at Twillingate and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and went on to study singing in Paris, Italy and Germany. She had taken the stage name "Toulinguet" which was the original French name for Twillingate. At the age of fifteen she played as a church organist in her hometown and early in her career had been instrumental in the formation of the Dorcas Society. While in Paris, Stirling had studied under the tutorship of Madame

Mathilde Marchesi Mathilde Marchesi (née Graumann; 24 March 1821 – 17 November 1913) was a German mezzo-soprano, a singing teacher, and a proponent of the bel canto vocal method. Biography Marchesi was born in Frankfurt. Her father's last name was Graumann; ...

where she was discovered by a

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

opera company. She toured and accepted engagements with many operas such as the Opera Company of New York City, the Boston Harmony Orchestral Society and the Scalchi Opera Company. At the peak of her career she had developed a throat ailment that cut her singing career short. She eventually made a comeback as concert artist. Stirling had returned to her hometown of Twillingate to live with her sister Rose where she eventually died on April 23, 1935 Easter Sunday. Her grave is located at Snelling Cove and happens to overlook the ocean. A monument created as her grave marker was erected in 1964.

References

External links

Nightingale of the North-Georgina Stirling, Virtual Museum of Canada"Nightingale of the North" by Amy Louise Peyton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stirling, Georgina Ann 1866 births 1935 deaths People from Newfoundland (island) Musicians from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian operatic sopranos 19th-century Canadian women opera singers 20th-century Canadian women opera singers Deaths from cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador

Life and career

See also

References

External links