Cyrena van Gordon [SEP] voice type
Cyrena van Gordon
Cyrena van Gordon was the stage name of an American operatic contralto born Cyrena Sue Pocock on September 4, 1892 in Camden, Ohio; she died on April 4, 1964 in New York City. In 1912 she married Dr. Shirley B. Munns, an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist in Chicago.
After studies with Louise Dotti, van Gordon made her operatic debut as Amneris in Verdi's "Aida" in 1913. A principal member of the opera companies active in Chicago during her
26, 1918 at the Lexington Opera House. The composer conducted, and the cast included Anna Fitziu as Azora, Forrest Lamont as Xalca, Cyrena van Gordon as Papantzin, Arthur Middleton as Ramatzin, Frank Preisch as Canek, and James Goddard as Montezuma. Although all members of the cast were promoted as young American singers, Lamont, who admittedly first trained and would make most of his career in the United States, was actually of Canadian birth. There were further performances given the same season in Boston and St. Louis.