Pauline Donalda singing Juliette in Romeo and Juliette, at Covent Garden, London, in 1905.
Photo Credit : Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives
Donalda with friends and supporters, ca. mid-1960s
Photo Credit : Jewish Public Library Archives
Autographed portrait of Donalda. Photo dated Nov. '62, though it was taken most likely circa 1905-1910.
Photo Credit : Jewish Public Library - Archives
Pauline Donalda portrait from The Jew in Canada, 1926.
Photo Credit : Alex Dworkin Canadian Jewish Archives
1882 - 1970
Pauline Donalda
Pauline Donalda (née Lightstone), was a Montreal-born opera singer of international renown who was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian arts and culture.
Born into a family of Eastern European immigrants, Donalda studied opera at the Paris Conservatory with financial support from the influential politician Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona). In honor of his sponsorship, she later adopted the stage name “Donalda.” After a successful debut in Nice, France, in 1904, her artistic career quickly took off. In 1905, she sang at London’s Covent Garden for the Queen of England and at The Brussels Royal Opera House. In 1906, she sang alongside tenor Enrico Caruso in a Verdi opera. These performances earned her tremendous acclaim. In the same year, she joined the Manhattan Opera House, founded by the American musical comedy composer and producer Oscar Hammerstein. When World War I broke out, she suspended her career and organized benefit concerts to support the war effort.
From 1922 on, she devoted herself to teaching voice. Twenty years later, in 1942, she founded the Opera Guild of Montreal, which went on to stage the first Canadian performances of many operas.
Donalda was among the first women to promote opera. In so doing, she helped promote both Canada and the Jewish community worldwide.
