Zabetta Brenska
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March 1, 1896
Zabetta Brenska | |
|---|---|
 A portrait of Zabetta Brenska by Lillian Fisk (1884-1970), from a 1917 publication. | |
| Born | Elizabeth Breen March 1, 1896 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 1966 (aged 70) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Elizabeth Breen Althouse, Elizabeth Breen Timm (after marriage) |
| Occupation | Singer |
Zabetta Brenska (March 1, 1896 – December 26, 1966), born Elizabeth Breen, was an American singer.
Elizabeth Breen was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Thomas M. Breen and Rachel Ann Eastwood Breen.[1] Her paternal grandparents Matthias and Elizabeth Breen were born in Ireland.[2] She received musical training in Florence.[3]
Career
Brenska, who sang as a mezzo-soprano[4] or contralto,[5] gave recitals and concerts,[6] sometimes sharing the stage with her first husband, Paul Althouse.[7][8] She also assisted Althouse with his operatic career, organizing and hand-copying his music and translations. "It was one of our little 'pacts' that after our wedding I should be allowed to work at my music," she explained to an interviewer in 1917.[9] She expressed admiration for the songs of Black composer Harry T. Burleigh.[10]
After her second marriage, she lived in the Ringoes section of East Amwell Township, New Jersey and directed community theatre productions and wartime benefit shows there.[11][12] She also taught Red Cross first aid classes.[13]
