Farrell, Eileen

Farrell, Eileen
▪ 2003

      American singer (b. Feb. 13, 1920, Willimantic, Conn.—d. March 23, 2002, Park Ridge, N.J.), was considered one of the world's most outstanding dramatic sopranos. Refusing to confine herself to any particular category, she gained success in popular music, jazz, blues, and opera. Farrell received her first voice training from her parents, who were vaudeville singers, and later studied in New York City. By the time she was 20, she was performing a wide range of musical selections on her own weekly radio program on CBS, Eileen Farrell Presents, and through that show she became one of the best-known singers in the U.S. Farrell's concert career began in 1947, and in 1949 she made her first of dozens of appearances as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. She also provided Eleanor Parker's singing voice for the role of opera star Marjorie Lawrence in the motion picture Interrupted Melody (1955). Farrell's debut on the opera stage came in Tampa, Fla., in 1956, in the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, and later that year she performed the role of Leonora in the San Francisco Opera's Il trovatore. It was not until December 1960 that she first appeared on the stage of New York City's Metropolitan Opera—in the title role of Alceste—and in her five seasons with that company she sang only six roles, reportedly as a result of differences with the Met's general manager, Rudolf Bing. Farrell's career and popularity flourished, however. In addition to her stage and concert performances, she made numerous appearances on television variety shows and released recordings ranging from opera to what was considered the first successful crossover album, I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues (1960). While she continued making concert appearances, from 1971 to 1980 Farrell also taught classical and popular voice at Indiana University. In 1999 her autobiography, Can't Help Singing (co-written with Brian Kellow), was published.

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▪ American singer
born February 13, 1920, Willimantic, Connecticut, U.S.
died March 23, 2002, Park Ridge, New Jersey

      American soprano who achieved success in both operatic and popular music.

      Farrell's parents were former vaudevillians. She traveled to New York City in 1939 to study singing and in 1940 earned a position with the studio choral and ensemble groups on the CBS radio network. The next year she began her own program, Eileen Farrell Sings, on which for seven years she performed a variety of vocal works. In 1947 she began making regular concert tours, receiving wide acclaim for her consistently brilliant performances.

      In the early 1950s Farrell performed concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 1953 she became a regular performer with the Bach Aria Group. In 1956 she made her opera debut in Tampa, Florida, as Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni (Mascagni, Pietro)'s Cavalleria rusticana. That same year she debuted with the San Francisco Opera in Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore. Her mastery of a wide variety of soprano roles garnered much praise from critics and earned her many roles, and in December 1960 she made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City in Christoph Gluck (Gluck, Christoph Willibald)'s Alceste. She was firmly established thereafter as one of the best American dramatic sopranos.

      Farrell was one of the few opera singers to be successful with popular songs. She recorded I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues, her first crossover album, in 1960, and her album Songs (1962) won a Grammy Award. In the mid-1970s she taught both classical and popular voice at Indiana University. Although she retired from performing, she continued to record the songs of composers such as Harold Arlen (Arlen, Harold), Rodgers (Rodgers, Richard) and Hart (Hart, Lorenz), Alec Wilder, and Johnny Mercer (Mercer, Johnny). Her autobiography, Can't Help Singing (cowritten with Brian Kellow), was published in 1999.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Farrell,Eileen — Far·rell (fărʹəl), Eileen. Born 1920. American soprano noted for her voice of exceptional power and clarity. She began her career in radio and first appeared in New York City at Carnegie Hall (1950). * * * …   Universalium

  • Eileen Farrell — (* 13. Februar 1920 in Wilmantic, Connecticut; † 23. März 2002 in Park Ridge, New Jersey) war eine US amerikanische Sängerin (Sopran). Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Karriere 2 Privatleben 3 Bedeutung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eileen Atkins — Born Eileen June Atkins 16 June 1934 (1934 06 16) (age 77) London, England Spouse Julian Glover (1957 1966) Bill Shepherd (1978 present) Dame Eileen June Atkins, DBE (born 16 June 1934) is an English actress and occasional screen …   Wikipedia

  • Eileen Farrell — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Eileen Farrell (Willimantic, Connecticut, 13 de febrero de 1920 23 de marzo de 2002) fue una famosa cantante de ópera y de concierto, estadounidense, con voz de soprano. Fue una auténtica soprano dramática con una… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Eileen Farrell — (Willimantic, Connecticut, 13 février 1920 Park Ridge, New Jersey, 23 mars 2002) était une cantatrice américaine, qui fit carrière surtout à la radio et en concert. Biographie Elle étudie le chant à New York avec Merle Alcock et Eleanor McLellan …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Eileen Farrell — (February 13, 1920–March 23, 2002) was a famous American opera and concert singer soprano. During her career, Farrell was greatly admired as an opera singer, but she preferred the concert hall and radio to the theater.Farrell was born in… …   Wikipedia

  • Farrell (surname) — Farrell is a surname, from the Irish Farrell clan ( ga. Uí Fheargaile) meaning man of Valor , and may refer to:In music and ballet: * Ciaran Farrell, Irish composer. * Bobby Farrell, DJ in the Netherlands * Dave Farrell, the bassist in the nu… …   Wikipedia

  • Farrell — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bobby Farrell (1949–2010), niederländischer Tänzer von Boney M. Brian Farrell (* 1944), irischer Kurienbischof der römisch katholischen Kirche Charles Farrell (1901–1990), US amerikanischer Schauspieler… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eileen Atkins — Dame Eileen June Atkins DBE (* 16. Juni 1934 in London) ist ein britische Schauspielerin und Drehbuchautorin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Biografie 2 Persönliches 3 Filmografie (Auszug) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Farrell — noun 1. United States writer remembered for his novels (1904 1979) • Syn: ↑James Thomas Farrell • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author 2. United States operatic soprano noted for the clarity and power of her voice (1920 2002) • Syn: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

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