Stephens, Catherine

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Stephens, Catherine

Stephens, Catherine, noted English soprano and actress; b. London, Sept. 18, 1794; d. there, Feb. 22, 1882. She studied voice with Gesualdo Lanza. After appearing in the English provinces, she sang minor roles with an Italian opera company at London’s Pantheon (1822); following additional vocal training with Thomas Welsh, she made her debut at London’s Covent Garden as Mandane in Arne’s Artaxerxes (Sept. 23, 1813); she sang there with much success until 1822. After singing at Drury Lane (1822–28), she returned to Covent Garden and appeared there until her retirement in 1835. In 1838 she married the Earl of Essex. She was highly successful as a concert and oratorio singer, as well as a singer and actress in the theater; sang Susanna in the first performance in English of Le nozze di Figaro (1819). Weber’s last work, the song From Chindam’s warbling fount I come (1826), was written for her.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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