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Tertia Stella Power (27 June 1896 – 16 January 1977) was an Australian
coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...
, a
protégée Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
of
Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century ...
. She has been referred to as the "Little Melba".


Early life and education

Power was born in
Camperdown, Victoria Camperdown () is a town in southwestern Victoria, Australia, west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 census, Camperdown had a population of 3,369. History The Djargurd Wurrung people were the traditional Abor ...
, to customs officer Edward John Power and Annie Elizabeth Power, née O'Brien. (died 9 September 1904). Her sisters include (Dorothy Veronica) Ita Power, who married John T. Hassett on 8 June 1918, and Ergoule Mary Josephine Power, who married John's brother Michael J. Hassett on 24 March 1923. The family was closely identified with the Catholic faith. She was educated at a convent, where her vocal talents were recognised, and she won a scholarship to
Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century ...
's Conservatorium singing school in Albert Street,
East Melbourne East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ...
, where she became a favorite of Melba, and according to one account, was dubbed "the Little Melba" by Melba herself. Another has her given that cognomen while appearing at The Auditorium, Melbourne under the management of the Tait brothers, for her light soprano voice and wide range (B below middle-C to F and G ''in alt'').


Career

In 1917 she received an invitation from Melba, who was in America, to join her there. Her farewell concert at the Melbourne Town Hall on 26 November was well-attended and enthusiastic, and she arrived in San Francisco accompanied by her teacher Mary Campbell, a month later. Melba was there to meet them. She made her American debut in Philadelphia, then sang with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1 ...
, followed by a tour with violinists
Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...
and
Mischa Elman Mischa (Mikhail Saulovich) Elman (russian: Михаил Саулович Эльман; January 20, 1891April 5, 1967) was a Russian-born American violinist famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality. E ...
. Her tour ended in Los Angeles, to sing with Melba. While in America, she was recorded by
Thomas A. Edison, Inc. Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated (originally the National Phonograph Company) was the main holding company for the various manufacturing companies established by the inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison. It was a successor to Edison Manufacturin ...
, and on a later tour of England she was recorded by
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...
. Melba returned to Melbourne in June 1918, shortly after Power, who with fellow-protégée Beryl Fanning was among the first to welcome her. Power was the chief attraction of a concert at The Auditorium, applauded by public and critics alike. In August 1918 she had a second farewell concert at The Auditorium, again rapturously applauded, but critics found more interest in
John Amadio John Amadio (15 November 1883 – 4 April 1964) was an Australian flute player, born in New Zealand, who performed with orchestras around the world and made a career as an international soloist and operatic accompanist. "He owed the beginnings of ...
's flute and the vocal contributions of Norman Bradshaw, Dorothy Murdoch and
Frederick Mewton Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederic ...
than Power's "birdlike top notes and dainty trills". Though it was billed as a farewell concert, she did not leave Melbourne for another year. She married William O'Rourke on 17 December 1918 and the couple left for a honeymoon in Cremorne, Sydney. She gave a series of Sydney concerts before taking a holiday in the
Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rive ...
region. She had another farewell concert, at the
Melbourne Town Hall Melbourne Town Hall is the central city town hall of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and is a historic building in the state of Victoria since 1867. Located in the central business district on the northeast corner of the intersection betwe ...
—another triumph, again aided by Amadio, and with soloists Joseph Foster and
Ivy Phillips ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
, with accompanist
Waldemar Seidel Waldemar "Wally" Carl Seidel (11 March 189317 September 1980) was an Australian pianist, accompanist, and piano teacher who taught many notable pianists from Australia. Biography Seidel was born in St Kilda, Victoria in 1893, son of a German imm ...
, then left for London via New York. Her London debut was on 23 November 1919, when she appeared at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
with
Landon Ronald Sir Landon Ronald (born Landon Ronald Russell) (7 June 1873 – 14 August 1938) was an English conductor, composer, pianist, teacher and administrator. In his early career he gained work as an accompanist and ''répétiteur'', but struggled ...
's orchestra. Australian newspapers were given an anodyne report of her success, when ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'' said her refined voice was lost in the vastness of the Hall. Melba felt betrayed by her protégée, in whom she had invested so much, but then she gave birth to a son, and Melba was mollified. Power remained in England for three years, touring provincial cities, at times sharing the stage with
Jean Gerardy Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...
,
Lauri Kennedy Lauri Kennedy ( Irvine Robert Laurie Kennedy; 5 July 1896 26 April 1985) was an Australian cellist. Early life Irvine Robert Laurie Kennedy (he used Laurie, later dropping the final 'e') was born in Randwick, a suburb of Sydney, to an English ...
, John McCormack,
Wilhelm Backhaus Wilhelm Backhaus ('Bachaus' on some record labels) (26 March 1884 – 5 July 1969) was a German pianist and pedagogue. He was particularly well known for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. He was also much ...
, and
Jan Kubelík Jan Kubelík (5 July 18805 December 1940) was a Czech violinist and composer. Biography He was born in Michle (now part of Prague). His father, a gardener by occupation, was an amateur violinist. He taught his two sons the violin and after ...
. She appeared at the
Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...
24 times for
Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hun ...
, and the Albert Hall 49 times. She sang for
Georg Schnéevoigt Georg Lennart Schnéevoigt (8 November 1872 – 28 November 1947) was a Finnish conductor and cellist, born in Vyborg, Grand Duchy of Finland, which is now in Russia, to Ernst Schnéevoigt and Rosa Willandt. Career Schnéevoigt began his ...
and the Society Konsert Föreningen in Stockholm, and the Christiania Philharmonic Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Society in Norway. She also sang with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1 ...
in the US. She returned to Melbourne in April 1923 by the ''
SS Osterley SS ''Osterley'' was a steam ocean liner owned by the Orient Steam Navigation Company. She was built by the London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company at Clydebank, Scotland in 1909 for a passenger service between London and Australia via the Suez C ...
'', accompanied by her son, her accompanist
William G. James William Garnet James (28 August 1892 – 10 March 1977) was an Australian pianist and composer and a pioneer of music broadcasting in Australia. Early years James was born in Ballarat in 1892. He studied piano at the Melbourne University Con ...
, and his wife Saffo Arnav. In 1926 she returned to America on a ten-year contract to
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
to sing in picture theatres, touring for 45 weeks a year and performing four or five shows every day. Hard work and highly lucrative but no articles discuss the cost of living in New York with a son and no partner. This was a period of dramatic change in the theatre — silent movies gave way to talkies and jazz began to dominate entertainment venues, and finally the Great Depression was starting to eat into the household economy. Power returned to Melbourne in August 1934, ostensibly for a six-month break. Others assumed the ten-year contract was ended. She made many appearances for the
Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
, many accompanied by the flautist C. Richard Chugg. In 1937 she gave live concerts on ABC radio 3AR with fellow-Melburnian Frederick Collier. Radio work for the ABC continued — light operas with
Dino Borgioli Dino Borgioli (15 February 189112 September 1960) was an Italian lyric tenor. Praised by critics for his musicianship, he was particularly associated with roles in operas composed by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti. Life and career Dino Bor ...
, produced in Sydney: Flotow's ''
Martha Martha ( Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...
'', ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spani ...
'', ''
The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an '' opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was b ...
'', ''
Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Paves ...
'' in 1938, With the outbreak of war she retired, "to take care of her family" said one biographer. Power did however take part in one of the series of eight operas in eight weeks for the ABC in 1940: ''
Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...
'' with the tenor
Lawrence Power Lawrence Power is a British violist, born 1977, noted both for solo performances and for chamber music with the Nash Ensemble and Leopold String Trio. Career Power started out as a violist (rather than beginning studies on the violin and switch ...
. She sang a radio concert with
Browning Mummery Joseph Browning Mummery (12 July 188816 March 1974), was an Australian opera tenor of the 1920s and 1930s who achieved a considerable reputation in Europe and America. He appeared on stage with Dame Nellie Melba on various occasions at her reque ...
shortly after. In 1946–1947 she took the singing parts of the mature Melba, with a full orchestra conducted by
Hector Crawford Hector William Crawford CBE AO (14 August 191311 March 1991) was an Australian entrepreneur, conductor and media mogul, best known for his radio and television production firms. He and his sister Dorothy Crawford founded Crawford Production ...
, in the radio serial ''
Melba Melba may refer to: * Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931), Australian soprano opera singer ** ''Melba'' (film), a 1953 musical biopic drama film about Nellie Melba ** ''Melba'' (miniseries), a 1988 Australian mini series about Nellie Melba * Melba M ...
'', first broadcast on radio station 3DB.


Personal

Power married William O'Rourke at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne on 17 December 1918. O'Rourke, an amateur vocalist, was a representative of the Sydney firm Petersen, Boesen and Co. Power received a monogrammed suitcase as a wedding gift from Melba. They had one son, William Hugh Edward "Billy" O'Rourke, born in London on 29 May 1920. Power died at a private hospital on Charmain Road, Cheltenham, Victoria. She was buried at the Cheltenham Memorial Cemetery.


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Stella 1896 births 1977 deaths Australian sopranos Singers from Victoria (state)