Anna Chornodolska

Chornodolska, Anna

Anna Chornodolska. Soprano, b Vienna, of Ukrainian parents, 21 Apr 1946, naturalized Canadian 1956; premier prix (CMM) 1970, BA (McGill) 1970. Taken to Montreal in 1948, she studied voice 1965-70 at the CMM with Bernard Diamant, Léopold Simoneau, and Daniel Ferro, and made her debut 28 Sep 1970 with the MSO in Mahler's Fourth Symphony. Under the auspices of JMC she made three tours 1971-4 in Canada and one in November 1977 in France. She made her New York debut 18 Jan 1972 at Carnegie Recital Hall; according to the New York Times, 20 Jan 1972, 'She entered into each song deeply and fully, dramatizing its uniqueness with great temperament, taste and intelligence'. Chornodolska's operatic debut as Frasquita in Carmen at PDA was followed by roles with other Canadian companies during the 1970s, eg Opéra du Québec, the NAC's Festival Ottawa, COMUS Music Theatre, and in CBC TV productions of The Merry Widow and West Side Story. The dedicatee of George Fiala'sFive Ukrainian Songs, she premiered the work 24 May 1973 with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. With the McGill Chamber Orchestra in 1976 she sang in the North American premiere of Antonio Sacchini's Olimpiade. She sang with other leading Canadian orchestras, including the MSO and the TS, and with the National Orchestra of Mexico. In 1978 she recorded Jacques Hétu'sLes Clartés de la nuit and songs of Schubert and Spohr with the pianist John York (RCI 483). She subsequently abandoned her singing career.