Alice Sjoselius
Alice Sjoselius (June 25, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American soprano.
Early life[edit]
Alice Margaret Sjoselius was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of Peter Adolph Sjoselius and Sara Bergman Sjoselius. Both of her parents were born in Sweden,[1] and both died in 1935, from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at home.[2]
Sjoselius trained as a singer with Anna Eugénie Schoen-René.[3][4]
Career[edit]
Sjoselius was performing concerts in Minnesota by 1909.[5][6] On her way to Germany in 1916, she was on the steamship Ryndam when it struck a mine near the coast of England.[7] She had been studying voice and singing opera in Germany[8] for several years when the United States entered World War I.[1] When she returned to America,[9] she sang at fundraisers for the war effort, including on the steps of the United States Department of the Treasury building in Washington, D. C.[10] Sjoselius made her New York debut at Aeolian Hall in 1918, singing Swedish folksongs as part of her program.[11] Also in 1918, she was engaged to sing a benefit concert for the Swedish Old People's Home in Evanston, Illinois.[12] However, her 1918 tour was suspended on medical advice.[13] She returned to Europe in 1919, to sing at the American Cathedral in Paris, and received a medal for her artistic services.[3]
Sjoselius performed through the 1920s and 1930s,[14][15][16] in the United States and in Europe.[17] Later in life she taught voice in Duluth.[18][19]
Personal life[edit]
Sjoselius died in 1982, aged 94 years.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Alice Sjoselius and her Programs" Musical Courier (September 12, 1918): 27.
- ^ "Couple Asphyxiated" Lubbock Morning Avalanche (November 8, 1935): 4. via Newspapers.com
- ^ a b "Alice Sjoselius to Appear Here Tonight" Bemidji Daily Pioneer (January 20, 1922): 1. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Daniel James Shigo, "The Great Schoen-René " Voicetalk (February 1, 2016).
- ^ "Thursday Musical" Star Tribune (December 3, 1909): 4. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Announces Program" Duluth Evening Herald (April 26, 1912): 18.
- ^ "Says Ryndam Struck Mine" Duluth Evening Herald (February 8, 1916): 6.
- ^ "Duluth Girl is In Berlin" Duluth Evening Herald (1914).
- ^ "American Women Being Sent Out of Germany" The Tomahawk (June 21, 1917): 3. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius' Recital Postponed" Musical Courier (November 14, 1918): 18.
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius, Soprano, Pleases" The New York Times (April 12, 1918).
- ^ "Concert for the Benefit of Swedish Old People's Home in Evanston" Archived 2017-10-30 at the Wayback Machine Svenska Kuriren (August 29, 1918).
- ^ "Alice Sjoselius Ill" Musical Monitor (February 1919): 243.
- ^ "Music Lovers Assured Fine Program Friday" Bemidji Daily Pioneer (January 18, 1922): 1. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Sjoselius to Aid Relief" Minneapolis Star (January 21, 1922): 6. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Soloist" Fitchburg Sentinel (April 14, 1936): 3. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Miss Alice Sjoselius a Musical Favorite in European Cities" Eau Claire Leader (March 20, 1927): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Soloist in Festival" Mason City Globe-Gazette (April 20, 1956): 21. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Nancy Mertens" Eau Claire Leader (November 7, 1961): 4. via Newspapers.com
