Edith Miller

Miller, Edith

Edith (Jane) Miller. Contralto, b Rothsay, near Guelph, Ont, 26 Feb 1875?, d Gravesend, Kent, 18 Jun 1936. She was raised in Portage la Prairie, Man, but began vocal studies with Francesco D'Auria at the TCM. Later she studied with Alberto Randegger in London and Mathilde Marchesi and Jean de Reszke in Paris. Throughout the 1890s she was active in Ontario music circles and in 1898 she was engaged as soloist at St Bartholomew's Church, New York. After her London debut in 1905 she became one of the most admired concert contraltos in England; her repertoire ranged from classical arias to French-Canadian folksongs. She appeared frequently in oratorio but only rarely in opera. She married Max Colyer-Fergusson in 1913 and retired following the birth of her only child in 1917. Described by the Toronto Daily Star in 1909 as 'one of the great concert singers of the day,' her death prompted The Times of London to recall: 'Her success was due not only to the sweetness, purity, and power of her voice, but to her sensitive interpretation and phrasing, intelligence and good taste.'