Haru Onuki
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Haru Onuki | |
|---|---|
 Haru Onuki, from a 1916 publication | |
| Born | August 7, 1894 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 1965 (aged 70) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Haruko Onuki, Marion Ohnick |
| Occupation | Singer |
Haru Onuki (August 7, 1894 - March 2, 1965), also seen as Haruko Onuki and Marion Ohnick, was a Japanese-American soprano singer.
Marion Ohnick was born in Phoenix, Arizona, the youngest child of Hachiro Onuki, also known as Hatchero Ohnick, and Catherine Shannon Ohnick.[1] Her father was born in Japan, and moved to the United States in 1876, to display Japanese artifacts at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.[2] He settled near Phoenix, and later in the Seattle area.[3] In 1884, Hachiro Onuki became a naturalized United States citizen.[4][5]
Haru Onuki studied voice with Oscar Saenger.[6]
Career
Helen and Marion Ohnick performed music together as a sister act on vaudeville as young women.[1][5] As Haru Onuki, she sang with the Sousa Band at New York's Hippodrome in 1916.[6][7] She introduced the song "Poor Butterfly" in The Big Show (1916) on Broadway.[8][9] "Miss Onuki speaks English far better than most Americans," noted a 1916 profile, as Onuki's American birth and citizenship were left unmentioned in much of her press.[10] "She holds audiences in rapt attention," wrote journalist Nellie Revell of Onuki in 1917. "they listen, they watch, and they will be glad to see her again."[11] In 1916, she contributed a recipe for a gelatin dessert to a celebrity cookbook fundraiser.[12]
In the 1920s, Onuki starred Madama Butterfly with the San Carlo Opera Company,[13][14] and toured the United States, Canada and England with the company.[5][15][16]