Description

PAULINE DONALDA (MONTREAL, 5 MARCH, 1882 – MONTREAL, 22 OCTOBER, 1970)

 

 

 

 

Her real name was Pauline Lightstone, and she came from a family of Russian-Polish descent. She received her early musical education at Victoria College in Montreal, which was founded by Sir Donald Smith, and studied singing with Clara Lichtenstein. Later, she continued her vocal training in Paris under Edmond Duvernoy. She made her debut in 1904 at the Opera House in Nice, performing the title role in Massenet’s Manon. In the 1905–1906 season, she enjoyed great success at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

In 1906, she married French baritone Paul Seveilhac and began performing frequently at Covent Garden, where she was supported by Nellie Melba. Her Covent Garden debut came in 1905 as Micaela in Carmen, and on June 28, 1905, she performed in the premiere of Franco Leoni’s opera L’Oracolo. A temporary ocular illness forced her to take a six-month hiatus in 1906, but she returned to the stage later that year at the Théâtre de la Monnaie.

In 1906, she and Paul Seveilhac performed at the Manhattan Opera House in New York, breaking their contracts with the Théâtre de la Monnaie. Her debut there was as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust (1907). The following year, she sang at the Monte Carlo Opera House, again debuting as Manon. She then made guest appearances at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and toured Germany, Holland, and Russia in concert.

In 1912, she returned to Covent Garden, where she performed alongside the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in La Bohème and La Traviata. During World War I, she remained in Canada after visiting family at the outbreak of the war and was honored as a member of the Canadian Red Cross. In the 1919–1920 season, she reappeared at Covent Garden, notably performing as Concepción in the premiere of Ravel’s L’Heure espagnole, which marked the end of her stage career.

After a concert tour in 1921–1922, she settled in Paris as a singing teacher from 1923 to 1937. After her separation from Paul Seveilhac, she married Danish tenor Mischa Léon in 1918. In 1937, she returned to Montreal, where she continued teaching and worked as an opera director. In 1942, she founded the Opera Guild of Montreal, serving as its president and artistic director until 1969.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1904 Nice Opera House

1905-1906 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1905 London Covent Garden

1906 New York Manhattan Opera House

1907 Monte Carlo Opera House

1907 Paris Opéra-Comique

1912 London Covent Garden

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Bohème (Puccini) Mi chiamano Mimì 053104 687c G&T, London 1906-07-09
2. Carmen (Bizet) Card scene (pf) 7218 2582-1 Emerson, New York 1916
3. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Vedrai carina 53520 6854e G&T, London 1907
4. Faust (Gounod) Air des bijoux 33620 8453b G&T, London 1906-07-09
5. Love’s way (Tosti) 3776 8904e Gramophone, London 1908-09
6. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) O che volo d’augelli 53537 8880e Gramophone, London 1908-09
7. Si mes vers avaient des ailes (Hahn) 33655 6851e G&T, London 1907
8. Who can tell (Wynne) 3732 6847e G&T, London 1907