Clarice Carson

Clarice Carson ( Katz; December 23, 1929 – May 2, 2015) was a Canadian soprano singer who made her name in opera from the 1950 to 1986. Born to Polish émigrés in Montreal, she sought to become a signer at an early age and made her public début at the Sarah Fischer Concerts. A first operatic appearance for Carson followed in 1953 and she portrayed various lead roles in performances across the world. She was inducted into the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame in 1998 and became the first Canadian to receive a commemorative plaque at the National Opera Center in New York in 2013.

Biography She was born Clarice Katz in Montreal, Quebec, on December 23, 1929. She was the daughter of Polish émigrés who were employed in the garment industry. Although Carson's parents desired her to become a bookkeeper, her objective was to sing from an early age. She began studying professional vocal studies with soprano Pauline Donalda and pianist Jacqueline Richard in Montreal at the age of 19, before moving to New York to be taught by Julia Drobner. after two of the singers were afflicted by illness. Carson then sang the lead role in Suor Angelica and Giorgietta in Il tabarro for the Opéra du Québec in 1971. Carson was cast as Desdemona in Otello in ' Opera du Quebec' production in 1973, before returning to New York to partake in the concert edition of Palestrina. Operatic bass player Paul Plishka invited her to partake in a concert of selections from his most popular repertoires in high school auditoriums in 1978. Two years later, Carson joined the Pittsburgh Opera to sing the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. Other performances that Carson portrayed during her career were Constanze in The Abduction in, Maddalena in Andrea Chénier and the title roles of Salome and Turandot in opera buildings across the world. Carson also served as an active board member and mentored several young singers with the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (IRCPA).

Personality and personal life

Carson's daughter described her as "extremely intelligent", and a person who was "very generous" and liked to enjoy life. At the age of 18, Carson married William "Bill" Ornstein and they had two children. The marriage had an amicable conclusion. She later had a short marriage to Greek-American tenor and vocal coach Philon Ktsanes. She donated her musical scores, personal correspondence, program booklets and tape recordings of her performances to the IRCPA library to ensure her work was preserved for future generations.