Ada Crossley

Singer, Musical Artist

1874 – 1929

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Who was Ada Crossley?

Ada Jemima Crossley was an Australian singer.

Born at Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria, she was the daughter of Edward Wallis Crossley, ironmonger, and Harriette, née Morris, both from Northamptonshire, England. Ada was the sixth surviving child in a family of twelve children.

Crossley's singing in the country met with so much appreciation that she was sent to Melbourne to be trained, where Sir Frederic Cowen, heard her sing and gave her advice. She studied under Madame Fanny Simonsen for singing, and under Alberto Zelman the elder for piano and harmony.

Her first appearance was with the Philharmonic Society at Melbourne in 1889. She sang frequently in Melbourne at concerts and in oratorio, and was the principal contralto in the choir of Charles Strong's Australian Church. She made her début performance in Sydney in January 1892, and also became well known there, too.

In 1894, she went to Europe and studied under Mathilde Marchesi for voice production, and under Charles Santley for oratorio work. Her first appearance in London was at the Queen's Hall on 18 May 1895, when she had an immediate success. For many years she held a leading place at music festivals and on the concert platform, and she gave five command performances before Queen Victoria in two years. She was also successful in America, and on returning to Australia in 1904 her tour was a series of triumphs.

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Born
Mar 3, 1874
Australia
Profession
Died
Oct 17, 1929

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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