Dora Wiley
Encyclopedia
Dora Wiley was an American soprano
who performed in opera
s and concerts in the United States, England, and Australia during the last three decades of the 19th century. Nicknamed "The Sweet Singer of Maine", her chief successes were in operetta
s and comic opera
s. She enjoyed popularity on the New York stage during the 1880s.
and touring with a Boston based vocal quartet. She first drew significant notice in 1874 when she performed as a soloist with the Boston Philharmonic Club. She then toured actively as a performer with the Berger Family Bell Ringers. In 1878-1879 she sang leading roles with the Boston Ideal Opera Company. In 1880 she performed the title role in Edward E. Rice
's Evangeline in Boston. She first appeared on the New York stage in 1881 as the title heroine in the Haverly opera company's production of Gilbert and Sullivan
's Patience
at the Metropolitan Casino. She returned to the New York stage the following year in several successful operettas produced by the J. W. Norcross Opera Company; including Bettina in Edmond Audran
's The Mascot
and Violetta in Johann Strauss II
's The Merry War.
In 1884 Wiley was the "leading attraction" at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, England in the opera Babes in the Woods. She also toured the English provinces with the company as the title heroine in Luscombe Searelle
's comic opera Estrella. Later that year was back in the US and touring out of New York, as the leader of the "Dora Wiley Opera Company". Her husband, the equally gifted comic actor Richard Golden
, from Bangor, Maine
, was initially part of her company, but later engaged Wiley to sing in his own successful play, "Old Jed Prouty" in 1889. The year before (1888), Wiley sang "Home Sweet Home
" at New York's Metropolitan Opera House before President Grover Cleveland
and spent a year in Australia, first with the Amy Sherwin
Opera Company in Melbourne and then as prima dona in the opera "Maritana
" at the Gaity Theatre in Sydney.
Wiley divorced Golden in 1892 and then remarried her younger business manager, Charles Tennis. The two initially went to live in Bangor, Maine
, but Wiley was back on stage in New York in 1893, and toured until 1895, when she appeared in the western "On the Trail". She died in Scarsdale, New York
in 1924 at the age of 71.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who performed in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s and concerts in the United States, England, and Australia during the last three decades of the 19th century. Nicknamed "The Sweet Singer of Maine", her chief successes were in operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s and comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s. She enjoyed popularity on the New York stage during the 1880s.
Life and career
Born in Bucksport, Maine, Wiley spent her early singing career working as a church and choral singer in Chelsea, MassachusettsChelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
and touring with a Boston based vocal quartet. She first drew significant notice in 1874 when she performed as a soloist with the Boston Philharmonic Club. She then toured actively as a performer with the Berger Family Bell Ringers. In 1878-1879 she sang leading roles with the Boston Ideal Opera Company. In 1880 she performed the title role in Edward E. Rice
Edward E. Rice
Edward Everett Rice was an American musical composer and theater producer active during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, known primarily for being a pioneer of American musical theater and introducing to Broadway a musical by African-American writers and performers.-Biography:Edward Everett...
's Evangeline in Boston. She first appeared on the New York stage in 1881 as the title heroine in the Haverly opera company's production of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
at the Metropolitan Casino. She returned to the New York stage the following year in several successful operettas produced by the J. W. Norcross Opera Company; including Bettina in Edmond Audran
Edmond Audran
Achille Edmond Audran was a French composer best known for several internationally successful operettas, including Les noces d'Olivette , La mascotte , Gillette de Narbonne , La cigale et la fourmi , Miss Helyett , and La poupée .After Audran's initial success in Paris, his works also became a...
's The Mascot
La mascotte
La mascotte is an opéra comique by Edmond Audran. The French libretto was by Alfred Duru and Henri Charles Chivot. The story concerns a farm girl who is believed to bring good luck to whoever possesses her, so long as she remains a virgin...
and Violetta in Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
's The Merry War.
In 1884 Wiley was the "leading attraction" at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, England in the opera Babes in the Woods. She also toured the English provinces with the company as the title heroine in Luscombe Searelle
Luscombe Searelle
William Luscombe Searelle was a musical composer and impresario. He was born in Devon, England, and brought up in New Zealand, where he attended Christ's College, Christchurch....
's comic opera Estrella. Later that year was back in the US and touring out of New York, as the leader of the "Dora Wiley Opera Company". Her husband, the equally gifted comic actor Richard Golden
Richard Golden
Richard Golden was a noted comedy actor of the stage whose most famous role was "Old Jed Prouty" in his play of the same name. The play helped to create and nationalize the genre of Down East humor, and helped make Golden one of the more celebrated comedians of his generation.Born in Bangor, Maine...
, from Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, was initially part of her company, but later engaged Wiley to sing in his own successful play, "Old Jed Prouty" in 1889. The year before (1888), Wiley sang "Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
- Film :* Home, Sweet Home , a film about the life of John Howard Payne* Home, Sweet Home , a British film starring Richard Cooper* Home Sweet Home , a British comedy film starring Frank Randle...
" at New York's Metropolitan Opera House before President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
and spent a year in Australia, first with the Amy Sherwin
Amy Sherwin
Amy Sherwin , the 'Tasmanian Nightingale', was an Australian soprano singer.Frances Amy Lillian Sherwin was born at Forest Home, Huonville, Tasmania, in 1855 and was taught singing by her mother....
Opera Company in Melbourne and then as prima dona in the opera "Maritana
Maritana
Maritana is a grand opera in three acts composed by William Vincent Wallace, with a libretto by Edward Fitzball . The opera is based on the play Don César de Bazan by Adolphe d'Ennery and Philippe François Pinel Dumanoir , which was also the source material for Jules Massenet's opéra comique Don...
" at the Gaity Theatre in Sydney.
Wiley divorced Golden in 1892 and then remarried her younger business manager, Charles Tennis. The two initially went to live in Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, but Wiley was back on stage in New York in 1893, and toured until 1895, when she appeared in the western "On the Trail". She died in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
in 1924 at the age of 71.