Désirée Talbot
Encyclopedia
Professor Désirée Talbot (born 24 October 1926, Cape Town
, South Africa
) is a retired South African opera
soprano
and one of the founding members of the UCT
Opera Company.
. Her father was a civil engineer and an amateur organist and pianist. Her mother was also musical and took piano lessons with Doris Lardner at the South African College of Music
in Cape Town
.
As a student registered for BMus
at UCT she took piano as first subject. When her left hand was permanently damaged in a car accident that occurred while returning from a rugby match with her boyfriend, she switched to singing as her main subject. She studied with Ernest Dennis and Adelheid Armhold, obtaining Teachers and Performers Licentiate Diplomas from Unisa and UCT. She started out as a music teacher at various primary schools, but in 1949 she was appointed to teach at Rustenburg Girls High where she stayed until 1954. She taught piano, theory and aural training and worked for the SABC for a year as music programme compiler. It was during this period that she was married to Alfred Garson, also a musician. In 1954 she joined the staff of the UCT Faculty of Music
as a teacher of singing and piano. She covered choral
conducting and acted as an accompanist
.
. It was in these early years that Talbot had the opportunity to sing in a production of Orpheus at the Little Theatre with Albert Coates
conducting the orchestra. She also attended lectures on singing given by the Russian opera singer Oda Slobodskay.
During her career as a singer, which extended more than thirty years, she sang leading roles in over 500 performances of 28 operas as well as concerts and broadcasts in South Africa
, Namibia
, Zambia
, England
, Scotland
and Italy
. She gave concerts in London
at the Wigmore Hall
and performed the song cycle Van liefde en verlatenheid by Arnold van Wyk
at the SABC. She joined the UCT Opera Company on their tour to Great Britain
and Scotland
for The Festival of Music and Musicians from South Africa in 1956. Erik Chisholm
accompanied her on her tour of the British and Scottish Universities and other towns in Great Britain. She was acclaimed as an excellent singer and actress and the well-known J Arthur Rank Film Productions even offered her an audition for a role in a film which she could not accept at the time. In England
she sang in the first British stage performance of Bartók’s
Bluebeard's Castle
as well as the role of Magda in Menotti’s
The Consul
in London
and Glasgow
.
In 1958 when she returned to Cape Town
she was appointed assistant repetiteur to the UCT Opera School. During this period she was also appointed official singing teacher to the Eoan Group. In addition to her teaching obligations she produced The Marriage of Figaro
for the UCT Opera Company. In 1960 she received a bursary for advanced study in Italy
from the Italian Government. ‘In recognition of services to opera in South Africa.’ Here she studied with Gina Cigna
in Milan
. She sang in a performance of La Bohème
in Milan
and did excerpts from Tosca
in a concert of international singers. She was interviewed and sang on RAI
as well. She was invited to audition at La Scala
. In Rome
Menotti
offered her the soprano part in Verdi’s
Requiem
at the next Spoleto festival
, but reluctantly withdrew the offer when he discovered she was a South African. When her money ran out in Italy
she worked as private secretary to the honorary SA Consul in Milan
.
offered her a position at the Conservatorium of Music as lecturer in Singing and she returned to South Africa to launch her new career as academic. In 1967 she was appointed Senior Lecturer in Singing at UCT and in 1979 was promoted to Associate Professor. She lectured in voice training, performing literature and repertoire for teaching purposes in singing, and in vocal teaching method. In 1984/5 she was appointed Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Music at UCT. She also acted as Chairman of the Music Library Committee during the period from 1984 to 1986.
In July/August 1984 she accepted an invitation to conduct master classes and lectures at Melbourne University and the National Conservatoire of Music and Opera in Sydney, Australia. She also was interviewed on ABC
and recorded a series of four talks on Singing and Singers for them.
Back in South Africa she was appointed Deputy Acting Director of the Faculty of Music, UCT. She was chosen as Woman of Distinction for the Faculty of Music for the Centenary of Women on Campus celebrations by UCT. 1n 1990 she was invited to serve on an HSRC Committee to plan a new format for teaching singing in universities and technikons in South Africa. She also was approached to serve as examiner at the countrywide musical examinations for Unisa. In 1991 the SABC asked her to assist in redesigning their National Vocal Competition repertoire lists.
At her retirement from the Faculty of Music, UCT, she was made Emeritus Associate Professor. She continued on as a part-time vocal teacher at UCT until the end of 1994. She retired from singing in 1978, returning once to the stage of the Nico Malan theatre
in 1982 to sing Mamita in Gigi
.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) is a retired South African opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and one of the founding members of the UCT
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
Opera Company.
Early life and education
She was educated at Collegiate Girls' High School in Port Elizabeth and afterwards at Rustenburg Girls High in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. Her father was a civil engineer and an amateur organist and pianist. Her mother was also musical and took piano lessons with Doris Lardner at the South African College of Music
South African College of Music
The South African College of Music, abbreviated as SACM, is a department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. It is located on the University's Lower Campus in Rondebosch, Cape Town.-Study opportunities:...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.
As a student registered for BMus
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
at UCT she took piano as first subject. When her left hand was permanently damaged in a car accident that occurred while returning from a rugby match with her boyfriend, she switched to singing as her main subject. She studied with Ernest Dennis and Adelheid Armhold, obtaining Teachers and Performers Licentiate Diplomas from Unisa and UCT. She started out as a music teacher at various primary schools, but in 1949 she was appointed to teach at Rustenburg Girls High where she stayed until 1954. She taught piano, theory and aural training and worked for the SABC for a year as music programme compiler. It was during this period that she was married to Alfred Garson, also a musician. In 1954 she joined the staff of the UCT Faculty of Music
South African College of Music
The South African College of Music, abbreviated as SACM, is a department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. It is located on the University's Lower Campus in Rondebosch, Cape Town.-Study opportunities:...
as a teacher of singing and piano. She covered choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
conducting and acted as an accompanist
Accompaniment
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
.
Singing career
In 1947 she had joined the UCT Opera Company which had been founded and was being directed by Erik ChisholmErik Chisholm
Professor Erik William Chisholm was a Scottish composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer"...
. It was in these early years that Talbot had the opportunity to sing in a production of Orpheus at the Little Theatre with Albert Coates
Albert Coates (musician)
Albert Coates was an English conductor and composer. Born in Saint Petersburg where his English father was a successful businessman, he studied in Russia, England and Germany, before beginning his career as a conductor in a series of German opera houses...
conducting the orchestra. She also attended lectures on singing given by the Russian opera singer Oda Slobodskay.
During her career as a singer, which extended more than thirty years, she sang leading roles in over 500 performances of 28 operas as well as concerts and broadcasts in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. She gave concerts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
and performed the song cycle Van liefde en verlatenheid by Arnold van Wyk
Arnold van Wyk
Arnoldus Christiaan Vlok van Wyk was a South African art music composer, one of the first notable generation of such composers along with Hubert du Plessis and Stefans Grové.-Early Life:...
at the SABC. She joined the UCT Opera Company on their tour to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for The Festival of Music and Musicians from South Africa in 1956. Erik Chisholm
Erik Chisholm
Professor Erik William Chisholm was a Scottish composer and conductor often known as "Scotland’s forgotten composer"...
accompanied her on her tour of the British and Scottish Universities and other towns in Great Britain. She was acclaimed as an excellent singer and actress and the well-known J Arthur Rank Film Productions even offered her an audition for a role in a film which she could not accept at the time. In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
she sang in the first British stage performance of Bartók’s
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
Bluebeard's Castle
Bluebeard's Castle
Duke Bluebeard's Castle is a one-act opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs, a poet and friend of the composer. It is in Hungarian, based on the French fairy tale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault...
as well as the role of Magda in Menotti’s
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
The Consul
The Consul
The Consul is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Its first performance was on March 1, 1950, at the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as the lead heroine Magda Sorel, Gloria Lane as the secretary of the consulate,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
In 1958 when she returned to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
she was appointed assistant repetiteur to the UCT Opera School. During this period she was also appointed official singing teacher to the Eoan Group. In addition to her teaching obligations she produced The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
for the UCT Opera Company. In 1960 she received a bursary for advanced study in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from the Italian Government. ‘In recognition of services to opera in South Africa.’ Here she studied with Gina Cigna
Gina Cigna
Gina Cigna was a French-Italian opera singer, one of the leading dramatic soprano of the inter-war period.- Biography :...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. She sang in a performance of La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and did excerpts from Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
in a concert of international singers. She was interviewed and sang on RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
as well. She was invited to audition at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
. In Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
offered her the soprano part in Verdi’s
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
Requiem
Requiem (Verdi)
The Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral mass for four soloists, double choir and orchestra. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance in San Marco in Milan on 22 May...
at the next Spoleto festival
Festival dei Due Mondi
The Festival dei Due Mondi ' is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958...
, but reluctantly withdrew the offer when he discovered she was a South African. When her money ran out in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
she worked as private secretary to the honorary SA Consul in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
Academic career
Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
offered her a position at the Conservatorium of Music as lecturer in Singing and she returned to South Africa to launch her new career as academic. In 1967 she was appointed Senior Lecturer in Singing at UCT and in 1979 was promoted to Associate Professor. She lectured in voice training, performing literature and repertoire for teaching purposes in singing, and in vocal teaching method. In 1984/5 she was appointed Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Music at UCT. She also acted as Chairman of the Music Library Committee during the period from 1984 to 1986.
In July/August 1984 she accepted an invitation to conduct master classes and lectures at Melbourne University and the National Conservatoire of Music and Opera in Sydney, Australia. She also was interviewed on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and recorded a series of four talks on Singing and Singers for them.
Back in South Africa she was appointed Deputy Acting Director of the Faculty of Music, UCT. She was chosen as Woman of Distinction for the Faculty of Music for the Centenary of Women on Campus celebrations by UCT. 1n 1990 she was invited to serve on an HSRC Committee to plan a new format for teaching singing in universities and technikons in South Africa. She also was approached to serve as examiner at the countrywide musical examinations for Unisa. In 1991 the SABC asked her to assist in redesigning their National Vocal Competition repertoire lists.
At her retirement from the Faculty of Music, UCT, she was made Emeritus Associate Professor. She continued on as a part-time vocal teacher at UCT until the end of 1994. She retired from singing in 1978, returning once to the stage of the Nico Malan theatre
Artscape Theatre Centre
Artscape Theatre Centre is the main performing arts centre in Cape Town, South Africa. It was opened in 1971 and is located on reclaimed land in the Foreshore area...
in 1982 to sing Mamita in Gigi
Gigi
Gigi is a 1944 novella by French writer Colette. The plot focuses on a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan and her relationship with the wealthy cultured man named Gaston who falls in love with her and eventually marries her....
.