Annie Louise Cary as Amneris, ca. 1875
Item 98374 info
Cary Memorial Library in Wayne
Annie Louise Cary, preeminent concert and opera singer of the late 19th century, was born in Wayne in 1841.
She studied music and singing in Boston, and then in Milan, Italy. She made her operatic debut in 1868, and thereafter she performed throughout the United States and Europe.
In 1873, Verdi’s opera Aida had its American premiere, with Annie Louise singing the role of Amneris. She was long remembered and praised for this role, perhaps her greatest, which established her reputation as a world-famous contralto.
The New York Times wrote, "It is not too much to say that there is no finer performance on the operatic stage than Miss Cary's Amneris."
She retired from the professional stage in 1881, not long before her marriage to Charles Monson Raymond, a banker. She sang after that for charitable and private events.
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