| Biography | (Mary) Hope Morgan. Soprano, teacher, b Newmarket, near Toronto, 23 Mar 1862, d Toronto 30 Oct 1936. Educated at Toronto's Loretto Abbey, she subsequently studied voice with Mathilde Marchesi in Paris and made her debut in 1895 in a concert marking Marchesi's 40th anniversary as a teacher. Following a single operatic appearance in Italy she confined her activities to the recital platform, mainly in England. After a coast-to-coast tour of Canada 1905-6 she settled in Toronto where she taught privately until her death, her pupils including the contraltos Eileen Law and Vera McLean. The possessor of a well-trained lyric soprano, she had a large repertoire in several languages but lacked the physical stamina necessary for the stage. Although she is known to have made one or two trial recordings, none seems to have survived. (Taken from the Canadian Encyclopedia). |