THE ENQUIRIES BULLETIN BOARD
We regularly receive enquiries about performers who may have appeared with the Carl Rosa Opera Company (and it’s ALWAYS worth asking…) – whether as singers in a named role or as members of chorus or orchestra. Sadly, in most cases we are unable to confirm the participation of individuals as the physical records which have survived remain sadly thin on detail and contemporary programmes seldom list members of the chorus. However, as we continue to work towards a full performance chronology of the company’s activities, we may be able to answer at least some of the outstanding enquiries in greater depth.
In the meantime, we record below enquiries we have received in the hope that others who read this page may be able to contribte some further details. The names below remain unconfirmed as Carl Rosa participants until additional information is unearthed. This page will be updated as new material becomes available.
CAN ANYONE ASSIST WITH….
| Performer’s Name | Other known details | Likely years of activity with the Carl Rosa | Date enquiry received |
| James Garrett (Tenor) | Romeo in Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet” (performed opposite Rose Fearon); venue: Pavilion Theatre, Torquay. Date: Thursday, 21st September 1922. Other known roles: Faust in Gounod’s “Faust” (Pavilion Theatre, Torquay Pavilion, 23rd September 1922) | early 1920s | August 2026 |
| (Arthur) Bruce Clark | Involved in Tosca 1948 – may have performed with Arthur Wallington | 1948 | July 2026 |
| Rosanna Burke | in the 1920s in Dublin | June 2026 | |
| ? Evans | Escamillo in Carmen circa 1953/54 in London | 1953/54 | June 2026 |
| Colin Cunningham | principal cast in the Carl Rosa production of The Bohemian Girl in 1933. | 1933 | June 2026 |
| Enid Agnes May Tolley | sang with the Carl Rosa before her marriage in 1924 | 1920s? | March 2026 |
| Patrick O’Shea (1872-1919) | Irish tenor that sang with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. | July 2025 | |
| Muriel Townsend (b.1902) | soprano chorister | July 2024 | |
| Edith Meredith nee Stone (Winifred Waldron) | Performed with the company; known to have toured South Africa. | July 2024 | |
| Esther (“Hetty”) Wands (1877-1929) | from Liverpool | September 2023 | |
| Kate Farringdon (stage name: Joan Mayer) | Lived in Malaya in later 1920s UPDATE: There are quite a few references to Joan Mayer in the newspaper archives but nothing with the Carl Rosa. Also no reference in the Carl Rosa programmes we hold for the 1920s. We have found: 1920 Richmond April, Aberystwyth June; 1921 Ilfracombe June, Stafford May; 1923 Bedford June. There are more | 1920s | April 2023 |
| Alan Blackwood | “leader” of the Carl Rosa Orchestra before moving to Gloucestershire in 1916; originally from London | ||
| C. Valli (violinist) | the ancestors of the person making this enquiry made her a violin in 1903 (photographs available marked as ‘In possession of C. Valli – Carl Rosa Opera Co.”) | Jul 2022 | |
| John Henry Thomas (stage name Rhys Thomas) | Sang with the Carl Rosa 1890s/1900s | 1890-1894 | Jun 2022 |
| Princess Iwa | Worked for Carl Rosa; her stage name was Princess Iwa and she was a Māori singer who came to England in 1910/11. She later married John Thornton who may also have been part of the Carl Rosa | 1910/1911 | Jun 2022 |
| Inez Pickett | May have been a member of the Carl Rosa Opera | August 2021 | |
| Olga Alexandra Ironside | Auditioned in about 1917 and won a contract for a tour of the British Isles with the company. | 1917 | May 2021 |
| Winnie Cliff (she added an “e” on the end of her surname when appearing in London!) | …was a performing member of the Carl Rosa Opera Company; we are indebted to her descendants for providing access to audio recordings of her recollections of working with the company; recorded in the late 1960s. Winnie talks of her her recollections of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra attending performances in 1909 at His Majesty’s Theatre in the Haymarket; her altercation with Dame Ethel Smyth and Sir Herbert Tree amongst other things; there’s another story about an old man sending a large coffin shaped box of chocolates in gratitude to the ladies of the Carl Rosa Company. Her family still treasure the sword which she used when she played the page in Romeo and Juliet as well as much of her sheet music. | March 2021 |
The Trust does not charge for the provision of services or searches but donations will be most welcome