Sonia Essin (born September 24, 1901, in Chernihiv; died August 7, 1981, in

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) was a Jewish-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 ...

and educator who had an international career in operatic and classical music. She began her career in Europe before beginning a career in the United States on radio in the 1930s. Later in life, she focused on vocal teaching.

Biography

Essin was born in Chernihiv on September 24, 1901. Her family arrived 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 * '' ...

on December 20, 1903. She grew up in the

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area. Essin was a member of the choir at both B'nai Jeshurun and the Free Synagogue in Manhattan. She graduated from both the

Mannes School of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School cam ...

and Juilliard where she studied with

Anna Eugénie Schoen-René Anna Eugénie Schoen-René (1864, Koblenz – 1942, New York) was a German-American soprano and teacher. She was the first German woman to be elected to the French International Union of Arts and Sciences. Biography Anna Eugénie Schoen was bo ...

. She went to Europe, and gave her debut as a soloist in the Netherlands. She spent some years there and in Germany performing in opera productions at

Deutsche Oper am Rhein The Deutsche Oper am Rhein (German Opera on the Rhine) is an opera company based in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. The opera also has an associated classical ballet company. Axel Kober has been its Music Director since 2009. The resident orchestra, th ...

and

Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden ('Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden') is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets, musicals and concerts on four stages. Known also as the ...

and in solo concerts, but was back in the United States by 1932. Essin was a soloist in the early 1930s with "The

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...

Symphony Hour" program on

NBC Radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first t ...

. Her solo performance debut in New York took place November 8, 1933, at the

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. She was on the staff at NBC as a soloist and had her own weekly radio series that ended in 1936. She subsequently continued her broadcasting career on other stations such as WQXR In 1943 she was engaged by the Handel and Haydn Society to solo in that year's presentation of ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

''. She was heard singing

Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

material by Arturo Toscannini, and at his invitation Essin made her debut at

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in 1948, performing the role of Brangäne in '' Tristan und Isolde''. At the time she considered it the highlight of her career. She joined the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music faculty in September 1953, where in addition to her vocal coaching she continued to give recitals. She remained on the faculty for six years. Later in life she moved to Los Angeles.

Reviews

Essin was declared by the

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to have a "true" contralto voice, with a "rich and warm texture". In a similar vein, Arthur Darak of the Cincinnati Enquirer called her a "bona-fide" contralto, espousing her the expression, intelligence, and warmth of her voice which he stated overcame the limited variety in her repertoire.

Personal life

Essin was married to David Simmonds, and spoke Yiddish fluently.

Discography

* ''The Art of Sonia Essin'' - Orion Master Recordings ORS 77271 * ''Felix Mendelssohn - His Story And His Music'' - Vox MM 3530 * ''Franz Schubert: His Story And His Music'' - Vox MM 3540 * ''Johannes Brahms: His Story And His Music'' - Vox MM 3580

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Essin, Sonia 1901 births 1981 deaths American contraltos German contraltos University of Cincinnati faculty NBC radio programs Tristan and Iseult La Scala American music educators 20th-century American musicians