Nadine Conner
Encyclopedia
Nadine Conner was an American
operatic soprano, radio singer and music teacher.
She was born in Compton, California
as Evelyn Nadine Henderson, and was the descendent of some of the earliest non-Hispanic settlers in California.
Diagnosed as a teenager with pulmonary disease, her doctor suggested she try studying classical singing to strengthen her lungs, as was customary at the time. Following his instructions, she began studying privately with Hollywood-based tenor, Amado Fernandez, during high school. In a fluke of fate, a great voice and singing talent emerged. Her natural potential revealed, she went on to study more seriously with Horatio Cogswell, and later in New York City with Florence Easton
.
She took her stage surname from her first husband, whom she divorced after two years of marriage. She would later marry a general medical practitioner, Dr. Heacock, and Nadine Heacock was the name she used in her private life. She appeared on The Voice of Firestone
, on radio
with stars such as Bing Crosby
and Nelson Eddy
, and did a musical tour with Gordon MacRae
.
But by the end of 1939, she was embarking on a career in classical opera. She made her professional debut in 1940 as Marguerite in Vladimir Rosing
's Los Angeles production of Gounod's Faust
. She sang with the Los Angeles Opera
from 1939 to 1941. In 1941, she began her career at the Metropolitan Opera
, making her debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute
(sung in English).
She made numerous guest appearance in European opera houses, starting in 1953 and was also heard in a wide range of concert repertoire. She made a notable recording of the Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
with conductor Bruno Walter
.
She became an acclaimed performer, excelling not only in Mozart, but gathering acclaim for her interpretation of Mimi in La Boheme
, and an especially thrilling Violetta in La Traviata
. She was comfortable in both lyric and coloratura roles. In all, she performed 249 times at the Met, retiring in 1960. She recorded with CBS, Cetra, Melodram, Discocorp, and Camden.
She was married again, in 1939, to Dr Laurance Heacock, a surgeon, with whom she returned to Southern California in 1970. They had two children, a daughter, Sue Lynn, and a son, Loren. They later settled in Cypress, California
, where she taught singing.
socially, she urged him to run for public office.
on March 1, 2003. Her New York Times obituary gave her year of birth as 1907 and her age at death as 96, as did other sources, most notably, Variety. Some sources have incorrectly cited 1913 or 1914 as her year of birth. Widowed since 1987, Nadine Conner was survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
operatic soprano, radio singer and music teacher.
She was born in Compton, California
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
as Evelyn Nadine Henderson, and was the descendent of some of the earliest non-Hispanic settlers in California.
Diagnosed as a teenager with pulmonary disease, her doctor suggested she try studying classical singing to strengthen her lungs, as was customary at the time. Following his instructions, she began studying privately with Hollywood-based tenor, Amado Fernandez, during high school. In a fluke of fate, a great voice and singing talent emerged. Her natural potential revealed, she went on to study more seriously with Horatio Cogswell, and later in New York City with Florence Easton
Florence Easton
Florence Easton was a popular English dramatic soprano in the early 20th century. She was one of the most versatile singers of all time. She sang more than 100 parts, covering a wide range of styles and periods, from Mozart, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Schreker and Krenek...
.
She took her stage surname from her first husband, whom she divorced after two years of marriage. She would later marry a general medical practitioner, Dr. Heacock, and Nadine Heacock was the name she used in her private life. She appeared on The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone
The Voice of Firestone, is a long-running radio and television program of classical music. The show featured leading singers in selections from opera and operetta. Originally titled The Firestone Hour, it was first broadcast on the NBC Radio network December 3, 1928 and was later also shown on...
, on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
with stars such as Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Nelson Eddy
Nelson Eddy
Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and actor who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs. A classically trained baritone, he is best remembered for the eight films in which he costarred...
, and did a musical tour with Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
.
But by the end of 1939, she was embarking on a career in classical opera. She made her professional debut in 1940 as Marguerite in Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing , aka Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in England and the United States...
's Los Angeles production of Gounod's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
. She sang with the Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
from 1939 to 1941. In 1941, she began her career at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, making her debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
(sung in English).
She made numerous guest appearance in European opera houses, starting in 1953 and was also heard in a wide range of concert repertoire. She made a notable recording of the Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
Ein deutsches Requiem
A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms, is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and a soprano and a baritone soloist, composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this work Brahms's longest...
with conductor Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
.
She became an acclaimed performer, excelling not only in Mozart, but gathering acclaim for her interpretation of Mimi in La Boheme
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...
, and an especially thrilling Violetta in La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
. She was comfortable in both lyric and coloratura roles. In all, she performed 249 times at the Met, retiring in 1960. She recorded with CBS, Cetra, Melodram, Discocorp, and Camden.
Personal life
While studying music at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, she was briefly married to a classmate, whose name she kept for the stage.She was married again, in 1939, to Dr Laurance Heacock, a surgeon, with whom she returned to Southern California in 1970. They had two children, a daughter, Sue Lynn, and a son, Loren. They later settled in Cypress, California
Cypress, California
Cypress is a suburban city located in the northern region of Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 47,802 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where she taught singing.
Politics
In her personal life following her musical career, she was a staunch Republican, and took pride in the fact that, when meeting actor Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
socially, she urged him to run for public office.
Death
She died in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on March 1, 2003. Her New York Times obituary gave her year of birth as 1907 and her age at death as 96, as did other sources, most notably, Variety. Some sources have incorrectly cited 1913 or 1914 as her year of birth. Widowed since 1987, Nadine Conner was survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.