Winifred Townsend
American violinist (c. 1876–1965)
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Winifred Amy Townsend Cree (about 1876[1] – September 27, 1965) was an American violinist and music educator, based in Chicago. She headed the Winifred Townsend Concert Company, a trio of performers touring on the Chautauqua circuit in the 1910s. She was a member of the Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago in the 1920s.
1870s
Winifred Townsend | |
|---|---|
Townsend with her violin, from a 1913 publication | |
| Born | Winifred Amy Townsend 1870s |
| Died | September 27, 1965 Winnetka, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Winifred Townsend Cree |
| Occupations | Violinist, music teacher |
Early life and education
Townsend was born in Iowa, the daughter of Frank H. Townsend and Madge Lambert Townsend. She won a gold medal studying with Bernhard Listeman[2] at the Chicago Musical College in 1897,[3] and earned a diploma at the American Violin School, Chicago, in 1902.[4] She also studied violin in Paris, with Albert Geloso.[5]
Career
Townsend played a 1771 Storioni violin.[6] In 1904 she toured in the MIdwest with her sister Faerie Townsend, a singer and dramatic reader, and a baritone named De Loss Smith.[7] From 1909,[2] she headed the Bostonia Concert Company, also known as Winifred Townsend Concert Company, a musical ensemble that toured the United States in the 1910s,[8] often on the Chautauqua circuit.[9] The other members of the group were her sister Faerie and her sister's eventual husband, Ralph Walker, who played cello and piano, and sang baritone.[5][10] They toured for at least seven seasons, and their show included costumes, child impersonations, readings, and a short operetta composed by Townsend and Ralph Walker.[11] In 1917 the performed for the inmates at Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas,[12] and they entertained troops at military bases and YMCAs during World War I.[13]
In the 1920s, Townsend was a soloist and concertmeister with the Winona Orchestra in Indiana,[14] and a member of the Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago. She formed the Townsend String Quartet with other members of the Women's Symphony Orchestra.[15] In 1928 Townsend performed with an all-female ensemble for the Lake View Musical Society.[16]
Townsend also taught violin in the Chicago area,[14][17] including at Kimball Hall.[18] Ruth Ray and Nesta Smith were among her students,[19] and music professor and violist Stella P. Roberts.[18] Her nephew Robert Walker was also one of her violin students.[20]
Personal life
Townsend married dentist Charles Garfield Cree in 1910 and had a daughter, Margaret. Her husband died in 1938, and Winifred Townsend Cree died in 1965, in Winnetka, Illinois, in her late eighties.[21]