Wikipedia

Haru Onuki

Haru Onuki (August 7, 1894 - March 2, 1965), also seen as Haruko Onuki and Marion Ohnick, was a Japanese-American soprano singer.

Haru Onuki
A smiling young Japanese-American woman, with dark hair in a bouffant style, wearing a striped kimono
Haru Onuki, from a 1916 publication
Born(1894-08-07)August 7, 1894
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
DiedMarch 2, 1965(1965-03-02) (aged 70)
New York, New York, U.S.
Other namesHaruko Onuki, Marion Ohnick
OccupationSinger

Early life and education

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Marion Ohnick was born in Phoenix, Arizona, the youngest child of Hachiro Onuki, also known as Hatchero Ohnick, and Catherine Shannon Ohnick.[1] Her father was born in Japan, and moved to the United States in 1876, to display Japanese artifacts at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.[2] He settled near Phoenix, and later in the Seattle area.[3] In 1884, Hachiro Onuki became a naturalized United States citizen.[4][5]

Haru Onuki studied voice with Oscar Saenger.[6]

Career

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Helen and Marion Ohnick performed music together as a sister act on vaudeville as young women.[1][5] As Haru Onuki, she sang with the Sousa Band at New York's Hippodrome in 1916.[6][7] She introduced the song "Poor Butterfly" in The Big Show (1916) on Broadway.[8][9] "Miss Onuki speaks English far better than most Americans," noted a 1916 profile, as Onuki's American birth and citizenship were left unmentioned in much of her press.[10] "She holds audiences in rapt attention," wrote journalist Nellie Revell of Onuki in 1917. "they listen, they watch, and they will be glad to see her again."[11] In 1916, she contributed a recipe for a gelatin dessert to a celebrity cookbook fundraiser.[12]

In the 1920s, Onuki starred Madama Butterfly with the San Carlo Opera Company,[13][14] and toured the United States, Canada and England with the company.[5][15][16]

Personal life

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Haru Onuki dated cartoonist Robert Ripley in the 1920s.[17] In 1932, she sued him for breach of promise, claiming that he promised to marry her and then did not.[18][19] She died in 1965, aged 71 years. Her gravesite is with those of her parents and her sister, in Long Beach, California. The Ohnick Family Papers at Arizona State University includes her correspondence and photographs.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Greg Robinson, "The Ohnick Family" Hapa Japan (August 7, 2017).
  2. ^ Eric Walz, "The Issei Community in Maricopa County: Development and Persistence in the Valley of the Sun, 1900-1940" The Journal of Arizona History 38(Spring 1997): 1-22.
  3. ^ Vince Murray and Scott Solliday, "The Japanese Community in Phoenix, 1886-1940" Asian American Historic Property Survey (City of Phoenix): 39.
  4. ^ a b Murphy, Marilyn (May 25, 2023). "Japanese American family's history now part of ASU Library archives". ASU News. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  5. ^ a b c Robinson, Greg (2020-12-31). The Unsung Great: Stories of Extraordinary Japanese Americans. University of Washington Press. pp. 22–28. ISBN 978-0-295-74797-2.
  6. ^ a b "Japanese Singer a Promising Pupil of Oscar Saenger" Musical America (May 27, 1916): 33.
  7. ^ Sheppard, W. Anthony (2019-09-16). Extreme Exoticism: Japan in the American Musical Imagination. Oxford University Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-0-19-007271-1.
  8. ^ Haru Onuki, Playbill.
  9. ^ West, Ben (2024-04-01). The American Musical: Evolution of an Art Form. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-040-00118-9.
  10. ^ "Haru Onuki's First Experience on the Stage a Delightful One". Musical Courier. 73: 18. September 21, 1916.
  11. ^ Revell, Nellie (November 1917). "Why Vaudeville Need Never Fear the Movies". The Theatre. 25: 100.
  12. ^ Celebrated Actor Folks' Cookeries: A Collection of the Favorite Foods of Famous Players. Mabel Rowland, Incorporated. 1916. p. 226.
  13. ^ "Haru Onuki Sings 'Mme. Butterfly'". The New York Times. September 19, 1926. p. 28.
  14. ^ "Gallo Opera Forces Fill Week with Performances of Uniform Excellence; Haru Onuki, Japanese Soprano, Creates Good Impression as 'Butterfly'". Musical America. 44 (23): 2. September 25, 1926.
  15. ^ Smith, Donald B. (2005). Calgary's Grand Story: The Making of a Prairie Metropolis from the Viewpoint of Two Heritage Buildings. University of Calgary Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-55238-174-8.
  16. ^ "Madame Butterfly is Helena's Choice; Haru Onuki Will Sing Title Role in Christmas Night Production". The Montana Record-Herald. December 11, 1923. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Neal Thompson, A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert 'Believe It Or Not' Ripley (Crown Archetype 2014): 189-190. ISBN 9780770436223
  18. ^ "Milestones" Time Magazine (March 7, 1932).
  19. ^ "Ripley Facing Plea for Balm". The Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1932. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
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