Sibyl Sammis-MacDermid
Sibyl Sammis-MacDermid | |
|---|---|
Sibyl Sammis-MacDermid in 1921, photographed by Mabel Sykes | |
| Born | Sibyl Mary Sammis May 12, 1876 Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 5, 1940 (aged 64) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations | Singer, voice teacher |
Sibyl Mary Sammis-MacDermid (May 12, 1876 – November 5, 1940) was an American soprano singer and voice teacher, based in Chicago in the 1910s, and in New York City after 1921.
Early life and education
Sammis was born in Illinois, the daughter of Oscar Fitzgerald Sammis and Julia Bogue Sammis. Her father was a miner in the Dakota Territory when she was a girl. Writer Hobart Chatfield-Taylor was her cousin.[1] She went to Chicago to study with Ragna Linne, and pursued further studies in London and Paris.[1]
Career
Sammis-MacDermid performed at the Proms in London in 1904, under conductor Henry Wood.[2] In 1907 she sang at a benefit concert to raise money for a hospital in Iowa.[3] She made several recordings on the Victor label in 1910.[4] She was a soprano soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1910 and 1911.[5] She was a church soloist,[6] and taught voice students from her studio in Chicago.[7] Her husband accompanied her in some recitals, and she sang his compositions.[8][9] She also sang songs by Carrie Jacobs-Bond[10] and Lily Wadhams Moline.[11] Alma Voedisch was the MacDermids' manager.[12]
In 1919, Sammis-MacDermid organized an all-female touring quartet, the Sibyl Sammis Singers. from some of her best students.[7][13] She gave a joint recital with baritone Fred Newell Morris in Indianapolis in 1922.[14] Also in 1922, she gave a five-week master class at a music school in Kansas City.[15] She posed at the wheel of an Oldsmobile car as an endorsement for the brand.[16] She was vice-president of the Society of American Musicians in Chicago.[17]
Publications
- "Silence and Harmony" (1918, short essay in Christian Science Sentinel)[18]
Personal life
Sammis married Canadian-born composer James Gardiner MacDermid in 1909.[1] The couple moved to New York City around 1921.[15] She died in 1940, at the age of 64, in New York City.[19]
References
- ^ a b c "Noted Soprano Married to Man She Made Famous". The Gazette. 1909-04-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Prom 09". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
- ^ "Benefit Concert; Miss Sibyl Sammis, Who Will Sing at the Mercy Hospital Benefit". The Gazette. 1907-05-13. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sybil Sammis-MacDermid". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
- ^ "Sammis-MacDermid, Sibyl". University Musical Society, UMS Rewind. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
- ^ "About Lyceum Folks: Schumann-Heink Honors Sibyl Sammis and James G. McDermid". The Lyceumite and Talent: 42. June 1909.
- ^ a b "Sibyl Sammis and her Singers". The Lyceum Magazine: 29. August 1919.
- ^ "Sibyl Sammis-MacDermid's Success". Musical Courier: 24. July 2, 1913.
- ^ "Noted Soprano to Sing Here; Sibyl Sammis McDermid on Chautauqua List". The Blue Rapids Times. 1912-08-01. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jacobs-Bond, Carrie (1908). "Doan' yo' lis'n". UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
- ^ "Chicago to Hear Stars". Musical Courier: 28. October 1, 1913.
- ^ "MacDermid Engagements". Musical Courier: 27. July 16, 1913.
- ^ "Rare Musical Feast is Assured at Chautauqua". The Kalamazoo Gazette. 1920-07-18. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Noted Singers to Appear in Recital". Indiana Daily Times. 1922-05-13. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "To Hold Master Class". The Kansas City Post. 1922-07-02. p. 19. Retrieved 2025-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Theatrical Folk Laud Oldsmobile". The Oldsmobile Pacemaker. 1 (12): 11. September 1918.
- ^ The Musical Blue Book of America, ...: Recording in Concise Form the Activities of Leading Musicians and Those Actively and Prominently Identified with Music in Its Various Departments ... Musical Blue Book Corporation. 1917. p. 59.
- ^ Sammis-MacDermid, Sibyl (July 27, 1918). "Silence and Harmony". Christian Science Sentinel. 20 (48): 945.
- ^ "Mrs. Sibyl S. M'Dermid". The New York Times. November 5, 1940. p. 25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-09-29.