Ann Golden

Golden, Ann

Ann (Frances) Golden. Contralto, teacher, b Ottawa; L MUS (McGill) 1958, B MUS (McGill) 1968. Among her singing teachers at the École Vincent-d'Indy and McGill University were Bernard Diamant and Jan Simons. In 1964 on a grant from the Canada Council she studied with Phyllis Curtin and Jennie Tourel at the Aspen Festival in Colorado. In 1957 in Montreal she created the role of Princess Aurora Borealis in the McGill University production of My Fur Lady. She subsequently performed the role some 120 times in several Canadian cities. Also in 1957 she sang the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, the first production of the McGill Opera Studio.

Later, Golden concentrated primarily on recital work and was engaged as an oratorio singer by the Montreal Elgar Choir, the Tudor Singers of Toronto, the Ottawa Choral Society, the Pro Musica Society of Boston, the Worcester, Mass, Festival, and other organizations. She sang the role of the Nun in the Canadian premiere (Montreal 1964) of Menotti's The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi. The following year she was soloist with the McGill Chamber Orchestra in Christian Ritter's cantata O amantissime sponse Jesu. At the SMCQ she premiered Bruce Mather'sMadrigal V in 1973. She has given numerous recitals on the CBC, presenting both classical and contemporary works.

Golden was head of music at St George's School, Westmount (Montreal), in the mid-1960s and later taught voice at the Mount Royal College Cons in Calgary.