Description

FORREST LAMONT (ATHLONE (ONTARIO), 26 JANUARY, 1881 – CHICAGO, 17 DECEMBER, 1937)

 

 

 

 

As a child, he moved to Chicopee, Massachusetts, where he sang in a church choir. He later studied in Italy and made his debut in 1914 at the Teatro Adriano in Rome, performing in Donizetti’s Poliuto. That same year, he made a guest appearance in Moscow, followed by performances in Budapest, Vienna, and various Italian opera houses. In 1917, he joined the Chicago Opera, debuting as Xalca in the premiere of Hadley’s opera Azora. The following year, in 1918, he sang in the Chicago Opera’s premiere of Arthur Nevin’s A Daughter of the Forest.

Throughout his long tenure at the Chicago Opera, he performed numerous major roles, including Rodolfo in La Bohème, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Canio in Pagliacci, Radames in Aida, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, the Duke in Rigoletto, Dimitri in Boris Godunov, Pedro in Eugen d’Albert’s Tiefland (1926), and Folco in Mascagni’s Isabeau. Beginning in 1922, he also took on roles in Wagner’s operas, such as Die Walküre and Tannhäuser.

One of his most significant successes at the Chicago Opera came in 1921, when he appeared in I Gioielli della Madonna by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, with Rose Raisa as his partner. He remained active at the Chicago Opera until 1930, after which he continued to make guest appearances, including at the Cincinnati Zoo Theatre. Following his stage career, he worked as a voice teacher in Chicago.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1914 Roma Teatro Adriano Poliuto (Poliuto)

1915 Porto Maurizio Teatro Cavour Poliuto (Poliuto)

1916 Philadelphia Academy of Music Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo)

1917 Paterson Lyceum Theater Trovatore (Manrico)

1918 Chicago Civic Opera House A Daughter of the Forest di A. Nevin (Lover)

1919 Philadelphia Academy of Music Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton)

1920 Chicago Civic Opera House Pagliacci (Canio)

1921 Chicago Civic Opera House I Gioielli della Madonna (Gennaro)

1922 Chicago Civic Opera House I Gioielli della Madonna (Gennaro)

1923 Chicago Civic Opera House Aida (Radames)

1924 Chicago Civic Opera House Aida (Radames)

1925 Chicago Civic Opera House Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1926 Chicago Civic Opera House Lohengrin (Lohengrin)

1927 Chicago Civic Opera House Boris Godunov (Grigori)

1928 Chicago Civic Opera House Cavalleria Rusticana (Turiddu)

1929 Chicago Civic Opera House Trovatore (Manrico)

1930 Cincinnati Zoo Theater Iris (Osaka)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. A Dream (Bartlett) 6002-B S-747-a Okeh
2. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Brindisi 6007-B Okeh
3. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola 6007-A Okeh
4. Just Before the Battle, Mother (George F. Root) as Frank Woods 943 3145-1 Emerson
5. Love here is my heart (Ross-Silesu) as Frank Woods 6002-A S-777-B Okeh
6. Rigoletto (Verdi) E il sol dell’anima (w. Campanari) 6009-A Okeh
7. Rigoletto (Verdi) Qesta o quella 6009-B Okeh
8. The Sister of Rosie O’Grady (Henry – Warren) as Frank Woods 973 3233-2 Emerson
9. Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle 6001-A Okeh
10. Trovatore (Verdi) Di quella pira 6001-B Okeh
11. Trovatore (Verdi) Di quella pira 7229 Emerson