Pauline Donnan
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Pauline Keller Donnan (September 21, 1885 – August 9, 1934) was an American soprano opera singer who worked with blinded veterans after World War I.
Pauline Keller Donnan was from Joplin, Missouri, the daughter of Andrew Fuller Donnan Jr. and Pauline Scott Keller Donnan. Her father was a city engineer, city councilman,[1] and mining company executive.[2] She attended Lindenwood College and Wilson College, and with encouragement from Ernestine Schumann-Heink, pursued further training as a singer in Paris, with Jean de Reszke and Alice Verlet.[3]
Career
Donnan sang at the La Monnaie in Brussels.[4] She was a leading singer in the Carl Rosa Opera Company, touring in Great Britain before and during World War I, in parts such as "Micaela" in Carmen, "Marguerite" in Faust, and "Queen of the Night" in The Magic Flute.[5][6] She also sang with the O'Mara Opera Company.[7] While in England, she worked at St. Dunstan's, a rehabilitation program in London, teaching vocal techniques as occupational skills for newly blind soldiers. She directed her students in operettas, and helped some find professional work as singers or voice teachers.[8]
