Isabel Richardson Molter (born about 1885, died after 1930) was an American soprano singer from Chicago, heard in oratorio, concert, and recital settings in the 1920s.

Early life and education

Richardson was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

and raised in the Chicago area, the daughter of George Parker Richardson and Isabel Lorena Adams Richardson. Her father was a businessman from New Hampshire. She lived in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,856. It lies on the shore ...

, as a young woman. She trained as a singer with Franz Prochowsky in Germany.

Career

Molter was a

dramatic soprano A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a ...

. She began her career in Chicago in the 1910s, and toured in the United States in the 1920s. She was associated with the

David Bispham David Scull Bispham (January 5, 1857 – October 2, 1921) was an American operatic baritone. Biography Bispham was born on January 5, 1857, in Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalitie ...

's Society of American Singers. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' commented that her voice "when unforced, has good quality in its middle register, and her phrasing and enunciation of the texts of her songs revealed true musicianship." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' found that Molter "showed keen dramatic instinct, and a high degree of musical intelligence." Molter sang with the

Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Th ...

in 1925, and gave concerts at a church in

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 census. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Ke ...

in 1925 and 1926. She sang on a radio concert in 1927. In New York, she sang at Aeolian Hall in 1926, and at

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

in 1927, and sang on programs organized by the Washington Heights Musical Club, In 1928, Molter toured in the American South, and sang in at the Texas Music Teachers' Association conference in Waco, and at concerts in Fort Worth and Dallas. In 1929 she performed in Maine and Massachusetts, and was a last-minute substitute in a performance of Handel's ''

Judas Maccabeus Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus ( ), also known as Judah Maccabee (), was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Ded ...

'' in Chicago. In 1931, she sang in Chicago at a concert-format demonstration of ''Manabozo'', an opera by Francis Neilson and William Lester, based on Ojibwe legends.

Personal life

Richardson married pianist and educator Harold Molter in 1921."Isabel Molter to Sing at Guild Theatre"
''The Musical Leader'' 56(2)(January 10, 1929): 31. They had a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molter, Isabel Richardson American sopranos Musicians from Chicago People from St. Joseph, Michigan Date of birth missing Date of death missing