Bishop, Anna (née Ann Riviere)
Bishop, Anna (née Ann Riviere)
Bishop, Anna (née Ann Riviere), famous English soprano; b. London, Jan. 9, 1810; d. N.Y., March 18, 1884. She studied piano with Moscheles and voice with Henry Bishop in London, marrying the latter in 1831. On April 20, 1831, she made her debut in a London concert. In 1839 she toured with the harpist Bochsa, and then returned to London to appear at Her Majesty’s Theatre. After she and Bochsa became intimate, they headed for the Continent and toured widely in concerts. In 1843 she was made prima donna assoluta at the Teatro San Carlo and the Teatro Fondo in Naples. In 1846 she returned to London to sing at the Drury Lane Theatre. In 1847 she made her U.S. debut in N.Y. as Linda di Chamounix. She created the title role of Martha in the first U.S. performance of that opera in N.Y. in 1850. After Bochsa’s death in 1856, she married the N.Y. diamond merchant Martin Schulz. In subsequent years she toured as a concert artist all over the world, making her farewell appearance in N.Y. in 1883. She was greatly praised for her superb vocal technique.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire