Ellen Hartla Faull (14 October 1918 – 2 December 2008) was an American operatic

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& ...

and voice teacher.Stabler, David
"Ellen Faul: Singer, Teacher, Inspiration"
''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', 9 December 2008Cummings, David M.
Faull, Ellen
''International Who's Who in Music'', Routledge, 2000, p. 193. Born in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, she was primarily associated with

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

, where she sang from 1947 until 1978 and created the role of Abigail Borden in Jack Beeson's opera ''

Lizzie Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...

'' in its 1965 world premiere. After her retirement from the opera stage, she taught singing at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sarah Lawrence scholarship, particularly ...

, the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

and later privately at her home in

Camas, Washington Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The east side of town borders the city of Washougal, Washington, and the west side of town borders Vancouver, Washington. Camas lies along the Washin ...

Biography

Ellen Faull was born in

to a working-class family. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, she and her brothers and sisters went door-to-door selling their mother's home-baked bread to bring in extra money. She showed an early talent for singing and while still a teenager, her teacher introduced her to the conductor

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with ...

who let her use his private box for all of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

's concerts. She went on to study at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

in Philadelphia and later in New York City. As an opera singer, she sang throughout the United States and occasionally in Europe, but she was primarily associated with

. She made her debut there in 1947 as Donna Anna in the company's first production of ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; Köchel catalogue, K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The rake (stock character), Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Pon ...

'' and continued to sing leading roles with the company until 1978. Her final performance there was as Abigail in Jack Beeson's ''

'', a role she had created in the opera's world premiere in 1965. As a recitalist, Faull was a champion of contemporary American composers.

Ned Rorem Ned Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was the leading American of his time writing in the genre. Althoug ...

once described her voice as "a cloud of peridot chiffon", and she sang in the world premieres of several of his works, including the 1957 premiere of ''The Poet's Requiem'' for soprano, chorus and orchestra. Following her retirement from the stage, she taught singing for many years at the

and the

. She also had a voice studio in the apartment on

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

in New York City which she shared with her husband, Maurice Gordon, a psychiatrist who died in 1987.Gallivan, Joseph,
"Opera star turned teacher celebrates a long life in song"
''

Portland Tribune The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in ...

'', 1 December 2006 When she moved to the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...

in 1990 to be near her daughter, she taught singing both privately and at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two dec ...

's Bel Canto Northwest Vocal Institute, a summer program which she founded in 1992 with Ruth Dobson, a former voice professor at Portland State. She continued to teach singers at her home in

right up until her death in 2008 at the age of 90. Amongst her many students were

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempor ...

Gianna Rolandi Gianna Rolandi (August 16, 1952 – June 20, 2021)Bordello, Enzo (June 20, 2021)"Gianna Rolandi 1952–2021" '' Parterre Box''. was an American soprano. She was based at the New York City Opera (NYCO) and enjoyed a 20-year national and internati ...

Youngok Shin Youngok Shin (also spelled Young-Ok Shin and Young Ok Shin: born July 3, 1961 in Seoul, South Korea) is a South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. Early life and education Shin was born i ...

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

Ashley Putnam Ashley Putnam (born 10 August 1952) is an American soprano from New York City. Her professional singing career began in 1976 and has spanned over 30 years. Early life and career Ashley Putnam began her music career playing the flute. Her mother ...

Beverly Hoch Beverly Hoch (born August 26, 1951) is an American coloratura soprano and music educator who has had an active performance career in operas, concerts, and on recordings since the late 1970s. She has been teaching at Texas Woman's University since ...

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United State ...

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

and

Veronica Villarroel Veronica, Veronika, etc., may refer to: People * Veronica (name) * Saint Veronica * Saint Veronica of Syria Arts and media Comics and literature * ''Veronica'', an 1870 novel by Frances Eleanor Trollope * ''Veronica'', a 2005 novel by Mary Gaits ...

.''

Opera News ''Opera News'' is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to engender the appreciation of opera and also suppor ...

''
"Ellen Faull, 90, Acclaimed City Opera Soprano For More Than Three Decades, Has Died"
4 December 2008Kellow, Brian
"Under Her Spell"
''Opera News'', November 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faull, Ellen 1918 births 2008 deaths American operatic sopranos Curtis Institute of Music alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Juilliard School faculty Sarah Lawrence College faculty Manhattan School of Music faculty Portland State University faculty Musicians from Pittsburgh Singers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American women opera singers Classical musicians from Pennsylvania Women music educators American women academics 21st-century American women