Georgia Ann Laster
Born(1927-11-18)November 18, 1927
Little Rock, Arkansas
DiedSeptember 4, 1961(1961-09-04) (aged 33)
Lodi, California
Instrument(s)Vocals

Georgia Ann Laster (November 18, 1927 – September 4, 1961) was an American soprano.

Early life and education

Laster was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She had five brothers.[1] She sang in church choirs as a young girl. She attended Dunbar High School[2] and joined her high school's a cappella choir, often appearing as a soloist.[1] She graduated from Junior College of Little Rock. In 1945, Laster began attending the University of Southern California (USC). In November, she began voice lessons at USC and was a member of the choir there, which was directed by Charles Hirt.[2] Laster graduated from the USC's school of music in 1948.[3]

Career

Laster was a protégé of Marian Anderson.[4]

She won an Atwater Kent audition in 1948 and her performance in a related concert received a positive review.[5] After winning a UCLA Young Artist Award,[6] she participated in the final concert in the 1950–1951 season of UCLA's concert series.[7]

She received a scholarship to the Music Academy of the West.[8]

A review of her performance at Philharmonic Auditorium reads, "Miss Laster disclosed a voice of pure quality, adequately powerful in the higher registers if not in the medium and lower ones".[9]

In 1953 she became one of the laureates of the International Naumburg Competition. In 1955–1956 she toured in Europe. The 1956 Laster concerts, in which the music of another African-American musician, William Grant Still, received approving criticism.[10]

Laster was accompanied by Franz Rupp in a recital at Town Hall in New York on March 6, 1955. She sang works by German, French, and English composers; she also sang spirituals. The review notes her "high voice of agreeable texture. She also has sensitivity and musicianship [...] What she lacks is a secure vocal technique." The review also noted that, despite her youth, she was "singing with the voice of an artist beyond her prime".[11]

She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 1956.[12] In 1953, she appeared in concert at the Hollywood Bowl.[13][14] She also performed at Redlands Bowl and Pasadena Playhouse.[15] She received the Marian Anderson Award in 1951, selected from 203 applicants.[16]

Laster was a music teacher at Brooklyn College in New York City[13] and taught in city schools in Los Angeles.[17]

Death and legacy

She died in a car accident with her mother in Lodi, California.[18][19] Four other people were injured in the accident, including one other person in the car with the Lasters.[13]

In honor of Laster, the Los Angeles branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians is named.[20]

Laster was one of the artists discussed by Anthony Philpott at the Century of Story and Song exhibit at Times Square in May 2020.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Georgia Laster: Little Rock girl with 'Beautiful Voice." The Daily Gleaner. May 15, 1959. Page 7. Via NewspaperArchive.
  2. 1 2 "Soprano to Sing On Kappa Concert". Los Angeles Sentinel. September 16, 1948. p. 20. ProQuest 562142418. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Schedule Leading Artists". July 8, 1948. p. 17. ProQuest 562146523. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ Perlee, Charles D. (September 7, 1961). "Tragic Death of Soprano Georgia Laster Mourned". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 12. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Contest's Stars Win". The Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1948. p. 28. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ "UCLA Names winners among Young Artists". The Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1950. p. 76. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ "UCLA Concert Series Will End on Tuesday". The Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1951. p. 116. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Hicks, Cordell. "Collections Gathered for Opera Museum". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ A Q. "Voice One of Quality." Los Angeles Times. 05 Mar 1951: A11.
  10. ↑ Judith Anne Still, Michael J. Dabrishus, Carolyn L. Quin. William Grant Still: A Bio-bibliography. Archived November 3, 2020, at the Wayback Machine — Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. — P. 178.
  11. ↑ H.C.S. "Georgia Laster Sings: Soprano Is Heard in Works by Purcell, French Composers." New York Times. 7 Mar 1955: 22. Via Proquest.
  12. ↑ "Fulbright Scholarship Won by L.A. Resident". The Los Angeles Times. September 2, 1956. p. 72. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 "Funeral Services Conducted for Concert Singer". Michigan Chronicle. September 23, 1961. p. C2. ProQuest 2397066979. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Reunion". The San Bernardino County Sun. August 20, 1961. p. 42. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Actress' Death Mourned". The San Bernardino County Sun. September 7, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Soprano Wins $1,000". New York Times. October 23, 1951. p. 27. ProQuest 111968084. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Around the Country". Cleveland Call and Post. October 14, 1950. p. 2_B. ProQuest 184186678. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Singer Georgia Laster, Mother Killed in Crash". The Los Angeles Times. September 6, 1961. p. 76. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  19. ↑ Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. September 21, 1961.
  20. ↑ Welky, Ali; Keckhaver, Mike (September 1, 2013). Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-935106-60-9. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Century of Story and Song: Setting the Stage, Part 2 | Times Square NYC". November 3, 2020. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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