Helen Boatwright
Encyclopedia
Helen Boatwright was an American soprano
who specialized in the performance of American song, recorded the first full-length album of songs by composer Charles Ives
and had a career that spanned more than five decades.
. After high school, she studied with Anna Shram Irvin and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Oberlin College
. Her operatic debut was as Anna in a production of Otto Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor at Tanglewood
.
During her career, she worked with many important figures in the world of music, including conductors Leopold Stokowski
, Erich Leinsdorf
, Seiji Ozawa
and Zubin Mehta
. She also performed with Leonard Bernstein
at Tanglewood
in the 1940s, sang opposite tenor
Mario Lanza
in his operatic stage debut, and performed for President John F. Kennedy
in the East Room
of the White House
in 1963. In 1954, she became the first person to record a full-length album of Ives' songs, "24 Songs" with pianist John Kirkpatrick. She also studied with composer Normand Lockwood
. Another particular favorite composer of hers was Wolf. She knew his songs intimately and in her later years, she nearly always included a set or even an entire half of a recital of his work.
She met her future husband, violin
ist Howard Boatwright (died 1999) in Los Angeles in 1941 when they were to perform in a National Federation of Music Clubs
competition. They married two years later, on June 25, 1943 (see below). They performed together throughout their married life in North America, Europe, and India. Many of her husband's compositions for voice were written for her. Other notable orchestral and choral groups she sang with were Paul Hindemith
's Collegium Musicum, Alfred Mann
's Cantata Singers, and Johannes Somary's Amor Artis Chorale.
of the Syracuse University
School of Music and she joined him teaching there. In 1969 the Boatwrights established a university-sponsored summer program, L'Ecole Hindemith in Vevey
, Switzerland
. They taught and performed there every summer until 1988. She was a professor of voice at the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester
from 1972-79, and was a guest professor at Cornell University
and the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University
. She also gave master-classes at Glimmerglass Opera
, University of Massachusetts
, University of North Carolina
and Washington University.
In 2003, Syracuse University presented Boatwright with an honorary doctor of music degree. Boatwright continued to study music and teach, and in 2006, on her 90th birthday, she celebrated with a standing-room only concert at St. David's Episcopal Church in DeWitt, New York (Inside SU, Thursday, December 2, 2010). In 1959, Boatwright performed the Bach B Minor Mass at the Crane School Of Music in Potsdam, New York, with the Crane Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of conductor Robert Shaw.
Helen will always be remembered fondly by former students and their accompanists for the interest that she took in teaching the young, upcoming musicians and bringing them up under her wing.
. Her achievements were honored during the 2011 Grammy Awards.
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...
who specialized in the performance of American song, recorded the first full-length album of songs by composer Charles Ives
Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
and had a career that spanned more than five decades.
Early life and career
Born as Helena Johanna Strassburger in 1916, she was the youngest of six children in a large German family from Sheboygan, WisconsinSheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
. After high school, she studied with Anna Shram Irvin and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. Her operatic debut was as Anna in a production of Otto Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
.
During her career, she worked with many important figures in the world of music, including conductors Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born, naturalised American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski...
, Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
, Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
and Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
. She also performed with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
in the 1940s, sang opposite tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
in his operatic stage debut, and performed for President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in the East Room
East Room
The East Room is the largest room in the White House, the home of the president of the United States. It is used for entertaining, press conferences, ceremonies, and occasionally for a large dinner...
of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1963. In 1954, she became the first person to record a full-length album of Ives' songs, "24 Songs" with pianist John Kirkpatrick. She also studied with composer Normand Lockwood
Normand Lockwood
Normand Lockwood was an American composer born in New York, New York. He studied composition at the University of Michigan from 1921–1924, and then traveled to Rome and studied composition under Ottorino Respighi from 1925 to 1926, and during this time he also had composition lessons with Nadia...
. Another particular favorite composer of hers was Wolf. She knew his songs intimately and in her later years, she nearly always included a set or even an entire half of a recital of his work.
She met her future husband, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Howard Boatwright (died 1999) in Los Angeles in 1941 when they were to perform in a National Federation of Music Clubs
National Federation of Music Clubs
The National Federation of Music Clubs was founded in 1898, became an NGO member of the United Nations in 1949, and was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1982. NFMC is a non-profit philanthropic music organization whose goal is to promote American music, performers, and composers through quality...
competition. They married two years later, on June 25, 1943 (see below). They performed together throughout their married life in North America, Europe, and India. Many of her husband's compositions for voice were written for her. Other notable orchestral and choral groups she sang with were Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
's Collegium Musicum, Alfred Mann
Alfred Mann (musicologist)
Alfred Mann , was a writer in musical theory and Professor Emeritus of Musicology at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.-Biography:...
's Cantata Singers, and Johannes Somary's Amor Artis Chorale.
Later career
In 1964, her husband Howard became the deanDean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
School of Music and she joined him teaching there. In 1969 the Boatwrights established a university-sponsored summer program, L'Ecole Hindemith in Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. They taught and performed there every summer until 1988. She was a professor of voice at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
from 1972-79, and was a guest professor at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. She also gave master-classes at Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Festival is an opera company which was founded in 1975 by Peter Macris and presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight miles north of Cooperstown, New York, United States.The summer-only season usually consists of four operas performed in...
, University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
and Washington University.
In 2003, Syracuse University presented Boatwright with an honorary doctor of music degree. Boatwright continued to study music and teach, and in 2006, on her 90th birthday, she celebrated with a standing-room only concert at St. David's Episcopal Church in DeWitt, New York (Inside SU, Thursday, December 2, 2010). In 1959, Boatwright performed the Bach B Minor Mass at the Crane School Of Music in Potsdam, New York, with the Crane Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of conductor Robert Shaw.
Helen will always be remembered fondly by former students and their accompanists for the interest that she took in teaching the young, upcoming musicians and bringing them up under her wing.
Family
Married on June 25, 1943, Howard and Helen Boatwright had three children: Howard Leake Boatwright, Alice Karth Boatwright, and David Alexander Boatwright.Death
Helen Boatwright died on December 1, 2010, aged 94, in Jamesville, New YorkJamesville, New York
Jamesville is a hamlet in De Witt, Onondaga County, New York, United States, part of the greater Syracuse area.The history of the community is documented in the book Water, Wheels and Stone: Heritage of the Little Village by the Creek, Jamesville, New York, written by Jean Schutz Keough, and...
. Her achievements were honored during the 2011 Grammy Awards.
Partial discography
- 24 Songs/Songs From Emily DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
– Composers Recordings (2001) - HandelHANDELHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
: The Chandos Anthems I-VI – VanguardVanguard RecordsVanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
(1998) - Hansel and Gretal: An Opera Fantasy (1954) – View Video (2001)
- Chandos Anthems I-VI - Vanguard SRV-227 SD / SRV-229 (1966)
- Music of Franz TunderFranz TunderFranz Tunder was a German composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was an important link between the early German Baroque style which was based on Venetian models, and the later Baroque style which culminated in the music of J.S...
- Howard & Helen Boatwright (1954) - Schubert - Mass No. 6 in E Flat Major - DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
DL 9422 (195?) - Happiest Millionaire – Disneyland Ster 5001 (196?)