Myra Mortimer
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Myra Mortimer | |
|---|---|
 Myra Mortimer, from a 1927 publication | |
| Born | March 26, 1894 Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1972 (aged 77) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Myra Mortimer Pinter |
| Occupation | Contralto singer |
Myra Mortimer (March 26, 1894 – January 29, 1972) was an American contralto singer with an international career in the 1920s.
Mortimer was born in Spokane, Washington[1][2] and raised in Butte, Montana,[3][4] the daughter of Daniel Mortimer and Dora Angie Munson Mortimer.[5] Her father was a journalist.[6] She initially trained as a pianist in Cleveland, but a hand injury turned her attention to singing.[7]
Career
Mortimer was a contralto who specialized in German lieder.[3] She toured in Europe in 1925.[6] In January 1926, she made her American debut in Boston.[8][9] She sang in Los Angeles, Spokane and Tacoma in March 1926.[10][11][12]
Mortimer toured again in Europe in 1927, and gave recitals at Town Hall and Carnegie Hall.[13] The New York Times described Mortimer's voice as "one of dramatic capabilities, range and power, with lighter lyric moments."[14] She was a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 1927–1928 season.[15] She sang with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and in Bridgeport, Connecticut, before returning to Europe for most of 1928.[16][17]
Mortimer lived and taught voice in London through the 1930s.[18][19] She volunteered for air raid warden service in New York City in 1941.[20]