Celebrating Black History: Louise Parker (Voice '50)
The internationally acclaimed operatic contralto and Curtis alumna attended the school from 1946–50.
Born in Philadelphia on July 23, 1926, renowned contralto Louise Parker began her musical studies at age eight and attended Curtis from 1946 to 1950, studying voice under Marion Freschl. Much of her formative life is unknown, but Ms. Parker was a two-time recipient of Marian Anderson scholarships, and following her studies at Curtis she made her official New York debut in 1958. Shortly after, she made her New York City Opera debut as Addie in Regina, composed by fellow Curtis alum Marc Blitzstein (Composition ’26). Throughout her career, she toured frequently in Europe and also performed in India, Indonesia, and the British West Indies.
“In the world of singers, it is rare to find a real voice, of complete musicality, fine taste, and lively rhythm. Her deep, vibrant voice filled the auditorium with warm, lustrous sounds.” – The New York Times review of one of Louise Parker’s early New York recitals.
In 1961, Ms. Parker was a soloist on The Sound of Stokowski and Wagner, featuring selections from Wagner’s Die Walküre and Das Rheingold, and the following year, joined John Raitt, Barbara Cook, William Warfield, and others for a recording of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Show Boat. In 1963, she recorded George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Samson with soprano Phyllis Curtain and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, and in 1964, she recorded Paul Hindemith’s oratorio, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed: A Requiem for Those We Love, with bass-baritone George London and The Schola Cantorum of New York directed by the composer.
1967 saw her record Claudio Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea in Alfred Hertz Memorial Hall of Music at the University of California, Berkley, with conductor Alan Curtis, and join the cast of Hans Werner Henze’s Young Lord with San Diego Opera. In 1971, she appeared in Leopold Stokowski’s last New York performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2., and sang in the 1972 world premiere of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, a joint production of the music department of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, Georgia, using the orchestration by T. J. Anderson.
As her public performances ended, Ms. Parker took on various teaching positions at Temple University, Western Connecticut State College, and the Jenkintown Music School, allowing her to share her vast experience and expertise with a new generation of operatic singers. Louise Parker passed away in 1986 at age 60 in Wynnewood, Philadelphia.
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Photo Credits: 1.) Detroit Public Library, E. Azalia Hackley Collection. 2.) Curtis Institute of Music Archives. 3.) Louise Parker (Filipjevna) and Theresa Green (Tatjana) in a January 6, 1949 performance of Eugene Onegin, Scene II, Act I, presented alongside a performance of Franco Leoni’s one act opera L’Oracolo; Curtis Institute of Music Archives. 4.) World premiere of Treemonisha in 1972 with Seth McCoy as Remus, choreographer and director Katherine Dunham in cap, Contralto Louise Parker as Monisha, Alpha Floyd in pigtails as Treemonisha, and Musical Director Dr. Wendall Whalum. Katherine Dunham Archives, Marjorie Lawrence Archives, Southern Illinois University Archives. 5.) Louise Parker’s graduation photo in 1950; Curtis Institute of Music Archives.