Frances Yeend, Opera Singer, Photographs, Recordings, and Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3972
Papers of Frances Yeend, classical soprano and opera singer, and papers of James Benner, pianist West Virginia University music professor.
Boxes 1-2 contain about 300 publicity photographs featuring American opera star Frances Yeend, a soprano. The publicity photographs are of Yeend costumed for roles in operas such as "Pagliacci," "Turandot," "Elektra," "Carmen," "The Marriage of Figaro," "The Tales of Hoffmann," "La traviata," "Faust," "Aida," "La bohème," "Amelia Goes to the Ball," "Tosca," Verdi's Requiem, and "The Four Ruffians," among others. The collection also includes various photographs taken for newspaper and magazine articles; and photos of Yeend with the other members of the Bel Canto Trio, including Mario Lanza and George London.
Box 3 contains a chronological listing of her performances and other professional activities for 1943 to 1966.
Boxes 4-60 contain sound recordings, piano vocal scores, books, programs, letters, recordings, and other material. Many scores were Yeend's personal study copies, and include performance markings. There are records regarding the Obernkirchen Children's Choir, and arrangements of concert pieces by Columbia Artists for performances by Yeend. There are also papers regarding master classes taught by Benner, and WVU opera productions.
Publicity photographs in Boxes 1-2 have been digitized.
There are oral histories with James Benner regarding the careers of Frances Yeend and of James Benner in digital audio.
The twelve non-commerical disc recordings in the collection have been digitized.
English
No special access restriction applies.
Researchers may access born digital and digitized materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
American opera star Frances Yeend was born 1913 January 22 in Vancouver, Washington. She studied music at what is now Washington State University, before debuting as a soprano singer. Between the 1940s and 1960s, Yeend performed in many noted opera roles, debuting at both the New York City Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Her performances included Pagliacci, Turandot, Elektra, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, The Tales of Hoffman, La traviata, Faust, Aida, La bohème, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Tosca, Verdi's Requiem, and The Four Ruffians. Yeend also performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival in New York and with noted singers Mario Lanza and George London as part of the Bel Canto Trio in the late 1940s. Her career took her to cities across the United States and the world, including a debut in Israel. Yeend retired from her opera career in 1966, joining the West Virginia University faculty as a Professor of Voice and Artist in Residence. She retired from teaching in 1978. Yeend died in Morgantown, West Virginia on 2008 April 27.
63.2 Linear Feet (63 ft. 2 1/2 in. (42 record cartons, 15 in. each); (3 record cartons, 17 in. each); (1 document case, 5 in.); (3 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (6 flat storage boxes, 1 1/2 in. each); (6 small flat storage boxes, 4 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.); (3 unboxed framed posters); (2 unboxed large scrapbooks, 8 in. total); (1 unboxed set of volumes of Grove's Dictionary, 1 ft. 9. in. total))
38.4 Gigabytes (443 files, formats include .tif, .wav, .psd, .iso, .cue, .mp3, .m4a, .docx)
Papers of Frances Yeend, opera singer, and papers of James Benner, pianist and West Virginia University music professor.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository