Irene Levi Mesirow (February 17, 1889 – February 12, 1962), known professionally as Irene Pavloska, was a Canadian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and composer.

Biography

Irene Pavloska was born to affluent

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents Pauline () and David Levi in Saint-Jean, Quebec, and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. She was educated at Dunham Ladies' College in nearby Dunham, the High School of Montreal, and at a boarding school in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. She later studied under

Edmond Duvernoy Charles-Henri Edmond Duvernoy (16 June 184412 January 1927) was a French pianist, baritone and vocal teacher, from a family of musicians.Fétis F-J. ''Biographie universelle des musiciens.'' Paris, 1878. Life and career Edmond Duvernoy was bor ...

at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. She first performed with the Montreal Opera Company under the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Olga Pawloska in the 1911–12 season, and took on the name Irene Pavloska before touring as Juliska in '' Sári'' in the 1914–15 season in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Intermittently between 1915 and 1934 she was associated with the

Chicago Civic Opera Company The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financia ...

, beginning with her debut as Musetta in '' La bohème'', alongside Nellie Melba as Mimì. Her other notable roles with the Company include Suzuki in ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'', Olga Sukarev in ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

'', Stephano in '' Roméo et Juliette'', Meg Page in ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'', and Princess Clarice in the premiere of ''

The Love of Three Oranges ''The Love for Three Oranges'', Op. 33, also known by its French language title ' (russian: Любовь к трём апельсинам, links=no, ''Lyubov' k tryom apel'sinam''), is a satirical opera by Sergei Prokofiev. Its French libretto w ...

''. Outside of Chicago, she notably played in '' The Firefly'' in Los Angeles (1921), and sang the title role in the Canadian debut of ''

Rose-Marie ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a Fren ...

'' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in

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 ...

(1925). She died while waiting for a train at Chicago Union Station on February 12, 1962, at the age of 72.

Personal life

Pavloska married New York furrier Abraham Sherwin () in March 1909; the two divorced in January 1911. Her second marriage was to Armenian-American silent film actor

Arthur Edmund Carewe Arthur Edmund Carewe (December 30, 1884 – April 22, 1937), born Hovsep Hovsepian ( hy, Հովսեփ Հովսեփյան), was an Armenian-American stage and film actor of the silent and early sound film era. Early life Born on December 30, 18 ...

, whom she married in February 1915. Plans for her and Carewe to co-star in a series of films were apparently cut short by their divorce in 1921. Pavloska's romantic affair with her personal physician, Dr. Maurice Elias Mesirow, was the subject of significant media attention. They married on December 29, 1928, within a day of his divorce from his previous wife.

Honours

Pavloska was an honorary member of the Chicago chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. She was inducted into the

Canadian Opera Hall of Fame The Canadian Opera Hall of Fame is a hall of fame recognizing individuals who have played a role in the development of opera music in Canada. The first honorees were inducted in 1991. Honorees include Clarice Carson and Irving Guttman Irving Guttm ...

in 1991.

References

External links

Recordings by Pavloska
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

Irene Pavloska
at

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavloska, Irene 1889 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American women opera singers 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian Jews 20th-century Canadian women opera singers Actresses from Chicago Actresses from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people Canadian Ashkenazi Jews Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian mezzo-sopranos Conservatoire de Paris alumni High School of Montreal alumni Jewish Canadian actresses Jewish Canadian musicians Jewish opera singers People from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Singers from Chicago Singers from Quebec