Janet Fairbank (June 18, 1903 – September 25, 1947) was an American operatic singer. She was the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-born daughter of novelist and suffragette

Janet Ayer Fairbank Janet Fairbank ( Ayer; June 7, 1878 – December 28, 1951) was an American author and suffragette, socially and politically active in Chicago and a champion of progressive causes. Biography Janet Ayer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7, ...

and Kellogg Fairbank, the son of industrialist

N. K. Fairbank Nathaniel Kellogg "N.K." Fairbank (1829–1903) was a Chicago industrialist whose company, the N.K. Fairbank Co., manufactured soap as well as animal and baking products in conjunction with the major meat packing houses of northern Illinois. ...

and the niece of Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist

Margaret Ayer Barnes Margaret Ayer Barnes (April 8, 1886, Chicago, Illinois – October 25, 1967, Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an American playwright, novelist, and short-story writer. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Biography Margaret Ayer grew up the youn ...

. A soprano, her debut in Chicago in 1931 was followed by a debut in Europe in 1932 and an initial appearance in opera (as Zerlina in Don Giovanni) in 1933. She appeared with the

San Carlo Opera Company The San Carlo Opera Company was the name of two different opera companies active in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Russell's San Carlo Opera The first company was founded by impresario Henry Russell, initi ...

in Chicago in 1934 and with the

Chicago Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

in 1934-35 and in 1940-41. She also appeared with the

Civic Orchestra of Chicago The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

, the Grant Park Orchestra, and other companies. She was also a patron of contemporary music, and provided encouragement and support to numerous recognized and aspiring composers including Virgil Thomson, David Diamond,

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

, Lou Harrison,

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

, Ned Rorem,

Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...

, Gottfried von Einem, and

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

Death

Janet Fairbank died in her native Chicago in 1947, aged 44, from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbank, Janet 1903 births 1947 deaths American sopranos 20th-century American women opera singers Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Illinois Singers from Chicago