Alice Sjoselius (June 25, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American soprano.
Early life
editAlice Margaret Sjoselius was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of Peter Adolph Sjoselius and Sara Bergman Sjoselius. Both of her parents were born in Sweden,[1] and both died in 1935, from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at home.[2]
Sjoselius trained as a singer with Anna Eugénie Schoen-René.[3][4]
Career
editSjoselius was performing concerts in Minnesota by 1909.[5][6] On her way to Germany in 1916, she was on the steamship Ryndam when it struck a mine near the coast of England.[7] She had been studying voice and singing opera in Germany[8] for several years when the United States entered World War I.[1] When she returned to America,[9] she sang at fundraisers for the war effort, including on the steps of the United States Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D. C.[10] Sjoselius made her New York debut at Aeolian Hall in 1918, singing Swedish folksongs as part of her program.[11] Also in 1918, she was engaged to sing a benefit concert for the Swedish Old People's Home in Evanston, Illinois.[12] However, her 1918 tour was suspended on medical advice.[13] She returned to Europe in 1919, to sing at the American Cathedral in Paris, and received a medal for her artistic services.[3]
Sjoselius performed through the 1920s and 1930s,[14][15][16] in the United States and in Europe.[17] Later in life she taught voice in Duluth.[18][19]
Personal life
editSjoselius died in 1982, aged 94 years.
References
edit- ^ a b "Alice Sjoselius and her Programs" Musical Courier (September 12, 1918): 27.
- ^ "Couple Asphyxiated" Lubbock Morning Avalanche (November 8, 1935): 4. via Newspapers.com
- ^ a b "Alice Sjoselius to Appear Here Tonight" Bemidji Daily Pioneer (January 20, 1922): 1. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Daniel James Shigo, "The Great Schoen-René " Voicetalk (February 1, 2016).
- ^ "Thursday Musical" Star Tribune (December 3, 1909): 4. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Announces Program" Duluth Evening Herald (April 26, 1912): 18.
- ^ "Says Ryndam Struck Mine" Duluth Evening Herald (February 8, 1916): 6.
- ^ "Duluth Girl is In Berlin" Duluth Evening Herald (1914).
- ^ "American Women Being Sent Out of Germany" The Tomahawk (June 21, 1917): 3. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius' Recital Postponed" Musical Courier (November 14, 1918): 18.
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius, Soprano, Pleases" The New York Times (April 12, 1918).
- ^ "Concert for the Benefit of Swedish Old People's Home in Evanston" Archived 2017-10-30 at the Wayback Machine Svenska Kuriren (August 29, 1918).
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius Ill" Musical Monitor (February 1919): 243.
- ^ "Music Lovers Assured Fine Program Friday" Bemidji Daily Pioneer (January 18, 1922): 1. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Sjoselius to Aid Relief" Minneapolis Star (January 21, 1922): 6. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Soloist" Fitchburg Sentinel (April 14, 1936): 3. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Alice Sjoselius a Musical Favorite in European Cities" Eau Claire Leader (March 20, 1927): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Soloist in Festival" Mason City Globe-Gazette (April 20, 1956): 21. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Nancy Mertens" Eau Claire Leader (November 7, 1961): 4. via Newspapers.com
