Nadine Conner American opera singer soprano Date of Birth: 20.02.1907 Country: USA

1. Biography of Nadine Conner
2. Vocal Training and Career
3. Operatic Career
4. Political Involvement and Later Life

Biography of Nadine Conner

Nadine Conner was an American operatic soprano, radio performer, and music educator. She was born on February 20, 1907, in Compton, California, as Evelyn Nadine Henderson. She was a descendant of the first settlers in the state who did not speak Spanish. In her early youth, Nadine was diagnosed with a lung disease, and her doctor advised her to pursue classical vocal training to strengthen her lungs, a common recommendation at the time.

Vocal Training and Career

Following her doctor's advice, Nadine began taking private vocal lessons from Hollywood tenor Amado Fernandez during high school. It turned out that she had a great vocal talent and a beautiful voice. As her natural potential unfolded, Nadine started taking her training more seriously. She studied at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and later in New York City under the guidance of Florence Easton, a famous English dramatic soprano of the early 20th century.

She adopted her stage name, Nadine Conner, from her first husband, whom she met in university and divorced two years after their wedding. In 1939, she remarried, this time to surgeon Laurance Heacock, and in her private life, she used the name Nadine Heacock. They had two children, a daughter, and a son.

Operatic Career

Initially, Conner performed on the radio program 'The Voice of Firestone' with stars like Bing Crosby and Nelson Eddy and toured with actor and singer Gordon MacRae. However, by the end of 1939, her career in classical opera began. Conner made her debut as Marguerite in Gounod's 'Faust' in Vladimir Rosing's production in Los Angeles. From 1939 to 1941, she performed with the Los Angeles Opera, and in 1941, her career at the Metropolitan Opera started. Conner made her debut as Pamina in 'The Magic Flute,' performed in English.

Starting in 1953, Conner was frequently invited to perform in European opera houses. She had a rich concert repertoire as well. Among her recordings, her famous rendition of Johannes Brahms' 'Ein deutsches Requiem' conducted by Bruno Walter stands out. Conner gained recognition not only for her delicate and intelligent interpretations of Mozart's works but also as an outstanding performer of Mimi in 'La Boheme' and an incredible Violetta in 'La Traviata.' She excelled in both lyric and coloratura soprano repertoire.

In total, she performed on the Metropolitan Opera stage 249 times and concluded her performing career in 1960. Conner recorded for studios such as CBS, Cetra, Melodram, Discocorp, and Camden. In 1970, she and her husband returned to Southern California and settled in Cypress, where Nadine taught singing.

Political Involvement and Later Life

Nadine Conner was a staunch Republican and took pride in persuading actor Ronald Reagan to engage in politics. She became a widow in 1987 and passed away on March 1, 2003, in Los Angeles. The New York Times obituary claimed that she was born in 1907 and died at the age of 96, but other sources state that she was born in 1913 or 1914. She was survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.