Sarah Fischer

Sarah Fischer, soprano, teacher (b at Paris, France 23 Feb 1896; Canadian citizen 1912; d at Montréal 3 May 1975). She was 12 when her family moved to Montéal. There she studied with J.J. Goulet, Céline Marier and Jeanne Maubourg, and made her stage debut as Micaela in Carmen. After the war, she studied in London and became Emma Albani's protégé. She sang at Covent Garden, notably as Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute (1923), the first opera broadcast from the famous theatre, and studied in Rome with Vincenzo Lombardi.

She first sang at the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1925 as Mélisande in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and she soon became much sought after for that role. In the same theatre she sang the title role in the 1600th performance of Mignon (1927). In 1934 she sang the title role in excerpts from Bizet's Carmen, in the BBC's first opera telecast. She was also acclaimed in recital and performed frequently at London's Wigmore Hall. She was made an honorary member of the Royal College of Music in London in 1928. Fischer occasionally returned to Montréal for engagements and in 1940 she took permanent residence in the city and opened a studio. In 1941 she established the Sarah Fischer Concerts, a venture she directed until her death and which enabled numerous young Canadian artists to make their debuts.