Marie Powers (1902–1973) was an American

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

who was best known for her performance as Madame Flora in

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept h ...

’s ''

The Medium ''The Medium'' is a short (one-hour-long) two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946. The opera's first profes ...

'', a role that she played on stage, screen and television.

Early life

On June 20, 1902, Powers was born in

Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, located in the Coal Heritage Region of Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, United States. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. It is located 88 miles (141 km) north ...

. At 17, Powers left home to study singing in

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

Education

Powers studied music and language at Cornell University. Powers studied at the Royal Conservatory in Florence, Italy.

Career

Powers sneaked into a friend’s audition before the conductor

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

and landed a part with the legendary opera company. In 1947, Italian writer

Lanfranco Rasponi Lanfranco Rasponi (11 December 1914 – 9 April 1983) was an Italian author, critic, and publicist. He is primarily known for his writing on opera and opera singers, especially his 1982 book, ''The Last Prima Donnas''. Born in Florence, he was t ...

introduced her to Menotti, who was casting the role of the fraudulent psychic in his opera ''The Medium''. The opera was staged on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

along with another one-act Menotti opera, ''

The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois ''The Telephone, or L'Amour à trois'' is an English-language comic opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti, both words and music. It was written for production by the Ballet Society and was first presented on a double bill with Menotti's ''The ...

''. Powers was hailed as a star for her dramatic performance as the phony psychic, and she repeated the role on live television in 1948 and in an expanded film production directed by Menotti in 1951.“Opera anecdotes” By Ethan Mordden
/ref> Later Broadway work for Powers included the 1957 revival of the musical ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' and the original 1960 production of ''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'', where she played the Queen Mother.

Personal life

Powers married Luigi Crescenti, an Italian Count. In 1938, Powers' husband died. On December 29, 1973, Powers died of heart failure in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York.

References

External links

Marie Powers at allmusic.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Marie American operatic contraltos 1902 births 1973 deaths Cornell University alumni People from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Singers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women opera singers Classical musicians from Pennsylvania