Castles, Amy Eliza (1880-1951)

Field of activity
Opera singer; soprano
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-767097

Biographies

CASTLES, AMY ELIZA (1880-1951), dramatic soprano, was born on 25 July 1880 at Melbourne, eldest child of Joseph Castles, printer, and his wife Mary Ellen, née Fallon, both Victorian-born. In the early 1880s the family moved to Bendigo where Amy was educated at St Kilian's primary school and then at St Mary's College.

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

Born into a musical family, soprano Amy Castles made her Melbourne, Victoria, debut at the annual meeting of the Austral Salon in 1899. She studied in Paris with Madame Marchesi and then Jacques Bouhy before appearing with Ada Crossley and Clara Butt at St James’s Hall, London in 1901. After completing further study Castles sang at the Queen’s Hall concerts in London and gave a command performance before King Edward VII in 1906. Castles then appeared in Hamlet at Cologne, Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet and Faust. She also took part in the Harrison tours of Great Britain and sang with conductors Hans Richter, (Sir) Henry Wood and Landon Ronald. Following her tour of Australia for J & N Tait, in 1909, Castles performed in the Australian premiere of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly for J C Williamson before returning to Europe. At the outbreak of war Castles returned to Australia where she completed a tour of the capital cities. She made her American debut at Carnegie Hall, New York in 1917 as well as giving concerts for sick and wounded soldiers and opening her Manhattan home to visiting Australians. With the Williamson Grand Opera Company Castles toured Australia in 1919 and again in 1925 on a concert tour managed by her brother George and including her sister Eileen.

  • October 1898 Performed in a local production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience directed by her teacher E Allan Bindley
  • 16 March 1899 Made her debut at the annual meeting of the Austral Salon, Melbourne
  • November 1901 Made her first London appearance at a St James's Hall concert with Ada Crossley and Clara Butt
  • 1902 Returned to Australia to tour for J C Williamson
  • 1905 Reappeared in London at Queen's Hall concerts
  • 1906 Gave a command performance before King Edward VII
  • 1907 Made her European debut at Cologne in Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet
  • September 1909 Returned to Australia for a four-and-a-half month tour of seventy-two towns for J & N Tait
  • 1911 Returned to London for a series of Chappell concerts
  • 1912 Accepted an offer of a four-year contract from the Imperial Opera in Vienna and was appointed chamber singer to the Imperial Court
  • 1915 After the outbreak of war Castles was obliged to leave Austria and returned to Australia to tour the capital cities
  • 1917 Made her American debut at Carnegie Hall, New York
  • 1919 Toured Australia with the Williamson Grand Opera Company
  • 1925 Returned to Sydney for a concert tour of Australasia which was managed by her brother George and included her sister Eileen
  • 1930 - 1931 Visited Hollywood to take part in a 'talkie'

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

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Resources for Amy Eliza Castles

Selected resources (10)

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

  1. 'Castles, Amy Eliza (1880 - 1951)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, pp 588-589.
    Maureen Thérèse Radic
    [1979]
    Published: Melbourne University Press

Australian Women's Register

  1. A New Melba?: The Tragedy of Amy Castles
    Brownrigg, Jeff
    [2006]
    Published: Crossing Press
  2. Castles, Amy Eliza (1880 - 1951)Australian Dictionary of Biography Online : Castles, Amy Eliza (1880 - 1951)
    Radic, Maureen Therese
    [2006]
    Published: Australian National University
    Series: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070595b.htm
  3. "Footprints on the sands of time" : Bendigo's citizens, the 1909 Bendigonian annual and community history
    Brownrigg, Jeff
    [2002]
    Published: La Trobe University, Bendigo
  4. Who's who in Australia 1950
    Alexander, Joseph A
    [1950]
    Published: The Herald
  5. Monash Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Australia
    Arnold, John and Morris, Deirdre
    [1994]
    Published: Reed Reference Publishing
  6. National Library of Australia Newspaper Microcopy Reading Room: [Biographical cuttings on Amy Castles, singer]
  7. State Library of Victoria: Castles [sound recording] / Amy Castles, Eileen Castles.
    1 sound disc (ca. 45 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 booklet (31 p.)
    782.1 C27C (3101)
  8. National Library of Australia Newspaper Microcopy Reading Room: Amy Castles : theatre programme file (1905 - 1921)
    mfm N 513
  9. State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection: Illuminated address, [manuscript]. (1911)
    Illuminated address presented to Amy Castles on March 16th 1911 from the Bendigo Miners Association and Watson Sustentation Fund for being involved in a charity concert in Bendigo on January 25th 1911. Also includes a photograph of the Association.
    MS 8182

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