Dolores Wilson

Dolores Mae Wilson (August 9, 1928 – September 28, 2010) was an American coloratura soprano who had an active international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. Beginning her career with major theatres in Europe, she performed in six seasons at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the 1950s. She is perhaps best known for originating the title role in the world premiere of Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe at the Central City Opera in 1956. After abandoning her opera career, she embarked on a second career as a musical theatre actress; making several appearances on Broadway in the following decades.

Early life and education Wilson was born on August 9, 1928, in Philadelphia. After her parents separated, she moved to New York City with her fashion designer mother, who counted Dinah Shore and Loretta Young among her customers.

She grew up in the Bronx and attended Catholic schools before entering Jamaica High School from which she graduated. She received classical voice training in NYC with William Hermann and also studied piano, ballet, and tap dancing during her youth. partially because her maternal grandparents hailed from that country.

In a December 1954 performance of Susanna in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Wilson was a last minute replacement for the scheduled performer Nadine Conner, and despite the last minute notice was said to have "essayed a difficult new role with great success". Her replacement of another singer, however, was less enthusiastically received; being called on to step in for Maria Callas in the role of Lucia on December 11, 1956. Even before the curtain rose, police were dispersing irate claimants for refunds on that occasion. She ultimately left the Met under circumstances which were termed "creative differences" with the company's general manager Rudolf Bing.

Wilson continued to perform internationally in operas in the early 1960s; appearing in theatres in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany and South America. Other roles she performed on stage included Amina in Vincenzo Bellini's La Sonnambula, Hanna Glawari in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow, Marie in Donizetti's La fille du régiment, Norina in Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Philine in Ambroise Thomas's Mignon, and the title role in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. In 1959 she recorded excerpts of the role of Norina for RCA Records.

Musical theatre career and later life Turning to Broadway, Wilson debuted in the 1965 production of The Yearling with David Wayne. Later that year she took over the role of Golde in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof from actress Maria Karnilova; and was again seen in that part in 1968–69. She performed in the original casts of two more musicals: portraying Maria Haggerty in Cry for Us All (1970) and Aunt Jenny in I Remember Mama (1979).

In August 1979 she took over the role of Miss Hannigan in the original production of Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin's Annie. Her last appearance on Broadway was in 1983 as Vivian Proclo in the revival of Terrence McNally's The Ritz. She also appeared in productions with numerous regional theaters in the United States.

Death A resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, Wilson died there at the age of 82 on September 28, 2010, due to natural causes. Both of her marriages had ended in divorce and she left no immediate survivors.