Nell Rankin facts for kids

A signed picture of Nell Rankin.

Nell Rankin (born January 3, 1924 – died January 13, 2005) was a famous American opera singer. She was a mezzo-soprano, which means she sang in a lower female voice range. Nell Rankin sang in operas all over the world. However, she spent most of her career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She performed there from 1951 to 1976. People especially loved her performances as Amneris in Verdi's Aida and as Carmen in Bizet's Carmen. Opera News magazine said her voice was "full" and "generous." They also noted her strong way of singing, especially in Italian operas.

Early Life and Musical Training

Nell Rankin was born in Montgomery, Alabama. She grew up in a very musical family. Nell and her siblings learned to play many different instruments. She started performing very young, singing for radio commercials at age four.

As a teenager, she studied singing at the Birmingham Conservatory. Her teacher was Madame Jeanne Lorraine. To pay for her lessons, Nell taught swimming during the summers. She rented the pool at Huntingdon College to teach children in Montgomery.

In 1943, a famous singer named Helen Traubel visited the conservatory. Nell was determined to become an opera singer. She went backstage and convinced Traubel's accompanist, Coenraad V. Bos, to listen to her sing. He told her to move to New York City to continue her studies. So, Nell moved there with her sister, Ruth Rankin, who was also a singer.

Starting Her Opera Career

Nell Rankin gave her first professional concert in March 1947. She performed at Town Hall in New York City with her sister, Ruth. Soon after, she made her opera debut. She sang the role of Amneris in Aida with the Salmaggi Opera Company in Brooklyn. Her sister Ruth sang the main role in that show.

In 1948, Nell joined the Opernhaus Zürich in Switzerland. She debuted as Ortrud in Wagner's Lohengrin. She stayed with this company for two years. She sang in 126 shows during her first year alone! In 1950, she moved to Theater Basel, where she sang Amneris in Aida and Dalila in Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila.

That same year, Nell Rankin made history. She became the first American singer to win first prize at the International Music Competition in Geneva. This made her very famous in the opera world. Soon, she received invitations to sing at many of the best opera houses around the globe.

Major Opera House Debuts

The year 1951 was a big one for Nell Rankin. She made her debut at three very famous opera houses. These included the Teatro alla Scala in Italy, the Vienna State Opera in Austria, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. At all three, she sang the role of Amneris in Aida.

In 1951, she also recorded the role of Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. She sang alongside the famous Renata Tebaldi for Decca Records. She was also a soloist in Verdi's Requiem at La Scala.

In 1953, Nell Rankin debuted at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the San Francisco Opera. For both, she sang the main role in Bizet's Carmen. She also gave a special concert for Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her Coronation. That same year, she gave her first solo concert in New York City at Town Hall. The New York Times praised her, saying her voice was "powerful" and "warm." They noted it was "beautifully trained."

Career Highlights and Performances

Nell Rankin performed with many major opera companies. However, she spent most of her career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She sang there from 1951 to 1976. She performed many different roles, including:

• Carmen in Bizet's Carmen
• Princess di Bouillon in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur
• Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana
• Marina in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov
• Giulietta in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann
• Herodias in Richard Strauss's Salome
• Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto
• Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore
• Princess Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo
• Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera
• Brangäne in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
• Fricka in Wagner's Die Walküre
• Ortrud in Wagner's Lohengrin

Her very last performance at the Metropolitan Opera was on April 16, 1976. She sang the role of Laura in Ponchielli's La Gioconda.

Other important performances in her career include:

• Starring in CBS's television version of Carmen in 1954.
• Singing Cassandra in Berlioz's Les Troyens at La Scala in 1960.
• Her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1959 as Princess Eboli.
• Appearing at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples as Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma in 1963.
• Performing as Carmen in the first show by the Lyric Opera Company of Long Island in 1971.

She also sang at the Teatro Colón in Argentina, the Bellas Artes Opera in Mexico City, and the Liceu in Spain. She was also admired for her solo concerts.

Nell Rankin was honored at the Metropolitan Opera's Centennial Concert in 1983. Many experienced singers were invited to sit on stage for the second half of the show. In a 2002 interview, Nell Rankin shared her most memorable musical moment. It happened in 1952 when her husband was in the Air Force in North Africa. She was asked to give a concert in an open-air theater near Tripoli. She said it was "unreal and unforgettable." The king of Libya even had a piano flown in from Egypt for her!

After she retired from the Metropolitan Opera, Nell Rankin became a teacher. She taught at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia from 1977 to 1984. Some of her students included Tenor Richard Burke and Mezzo-Soprano Wanda Brister. She continued to teach privately in New York City until she fully retired in 1991.

Recordings

Nell Rankin did not make many commercial recordings during her career. She had a contract with the Decca label, but many recording projects did not happen. Her only Decca recording is Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. She sang with Renata Tebaldi in that recording.

She also sang in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This was recorded with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, led by Bruno Walter. She made a wonderful recording of Brahms songs with Coenraad V. Bos for Capitol Records. This recording is special because V. Bos was the accompanist for the first performance of these songs in 1896. She also appeared on Capitol Records in Vaughan Williams's "Five Tudor Portraits."

Several live recordings of her performances are now available on CD. These include a 1951 recording of her as Amneris in Aida. This was conducted by Herbert von Karajan for a radio broadcast in Vienna. There is also a recording of Verdi's Requiem from La Scala from the same year. The 1960 La Scala production of Berlioz's Les Troyens is also available.

Personal Life

In 1952, Nell Rankin married Dr. Hugh Clark Davidson, who was a doctor. They did not have any children. They were married for 53 years. Nell Rankin passed away on January 13, 2005, at the age of 81. She died from polycythemia vera, a rare blood cancer, at Cabrini Medical Center in New York City.