Louise Hunter

Anna Louise Todhunter was born in Middletown, Ohio. At the age of 10, while attending public school, she began taking vocal lessons from B. W. Foley of the Cincinnati Conservatory. Upon hearing her, Mrs. George M. Verity of Dayton, Ohio arranged for Louise to study at the Schuster-Martin School of Drama in Cincinnati."Middletown Singer Signs 4-Year Contract With Metropolitan Grand Opera Co., N.Y.," Dayton News, (Oct. 14, 1923).

Beginning in 1923, now billed as Louise Hunter, she appeared with the De Feo Opera Company singing Musetta in La bohème, Nedda in Pagliacci and Micaela in Carmen."Louise Hunter, Opera Star, Back Home After Triumphs Before Eastern Audienses," Middletown News (Jul. 2, 1923).

Hunter signed a four-year contract with the Metropolitan Opera in October 1923. She made her first appearance with the company on November 11, 1923, singing Act II of Lucia di Lammermoor at one of the company's Sunday evening concerts."Hunter, Louise" in [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm MetOpera Database]. Her first staged appearance took place on November 17, 1923, as one of the three orphans in Der Rosenkavalier. Although she sang small roles, among her more notable assumptions were Musetta in La Boheme, Feodor in Boris Godunov, Yniold in Pelléas et Mélisande, and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. She sang Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann for a single performance on April 25, 1925, while the Met was on tour in Atlanta. She received a positive review, with the reviewer noting that Hunter would be appearing in Atlanta that summer for a season of light opera.O. B. Keeler, "Week's Largest Audience Acclaims Louise Hunter in "Tales of Hoffmann' Atlanta Journal (April 25, 1925), as quoted in the MetOpera Database, CID 90330. Her final performance with the company took place on April 30, 1927, on tour in Atlanta where she sang the role of Stephano in Roméo et Juliette. She had given 139 performances with the company.

During the summers, Hunter sang in Atlanta with the Municipal Light Opera. Among the operettas she sang were The Firefly,"The Firefly, Et Cetera," Atlanta Journal (Jul. 14, 1925). The Chocolate Soldier,"Soldier Opens Opera Musical Comedy Series," Atlanta Journal (Jun. 20, 1926), p. 1. Naughty Marietta,"Louise Hunter and Vera Myers in 'Naughty Marietta'," Atlanta Journal (Jul. 4, 1926). Robin Hood,Fuzzy Woodruff, "Robin Hood Presented In Full Beauty," Atlanta Georgian (Jul. 13, 1926). The Pirates of Penzance,Frank Daniel, "Pirates of Penzance Best Music Comedy of Season," Atlanta Journal (Jul. 20, 1926). and Katinka."Vera Myers and Lou Powers Featured in 'Katinka'," Atlanta Journal (Jul. 25, 1926). Of a 1926 performance of Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow an unnamed reviewer wrote: "Possessing the most of this world's good, Louise Hunter is an outstanding personality. She has the sparkle of youth, she has unusual beauty, she is an actress of very high caliber, and, to crown it all, she has that gloriously lovely voice." "Lovely 'Merry Widow' Is Final Production off Opera Season," Atlanta Journal (Aug. 10, 1926).

In January 1927 it was announced that Hunter had left the Metropolitan Opera and signed a five-year contract with Arthur Hammerstein to appear in operettas. She appeared in only one of Hammerstein's productions creating the title role in Golden Dawn, which opened on Broadway on November 30, 1927.{{IBDB show |3976|Golden Dawn}} Her final performance in the role was at the matinee of February 18, 1927, during which she became violently ill. She was rushed to the hospital for an appendectomy."Golden Dawn Prima Appendicitis Victim," New York News (Feb. 21, 1928).

During her convalescence she announced her release from Hammerstein's contract (which he granted) in order to marry."Prima Donna Retires," Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Feb. 25, 1928). Although officially retired after 1928, she continued singing informally. A 1934 notice had her singing in a Palm Beach chapel."Louise Hunter Windsor at Royal Poinciana Chapel," Palm Beach News (Mar. 9, 1934), p. 5.

On January 22, 1928, she married Henry Haven Windsor, Jr., son of Henry Haven Windsor, founder of Popular Mechanics.[http://italiangen.org/records-search/brides.php Brides search, ItalianGen Genealogical Group.] They had two sons, Henry Haven Windsor III (1929-2003), and William Todhunter Windsor (born 1930).[http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WINDSOR/2004-01/1073684254 "Obit. Henry Haven Windsor III," "Windsor-L archives," Rootsweb (Jan. 9, 2004).] The Windsors divorced in Chicago on February 15, 1943."Divorces," Billboard (Mar. 6, 1943), p. 43. (Five weeks later, Henry H. Windsor, Jr. married Dorothy Foltz on March 24, 1943.)Judith Cass, "Dorothy Foltz is bride of Henry Windsor Jr.," Chicago Tribune (Mar. 24, 1943), p. 23.

Louise Hunter Windsor (as she was named after her first marriage and divorce) moved to Denver in 1962. She died there September 13, 1981. She was survived by six grandchildren, including grandsons Willie Windsor (a songwriter based in Nashville) and John Windsor, an actor.[https://www.proquest.com/docview/1438325023/ "Obituaries: Louise Hunter Wilson," Variety (Oct. 7, 1981), p. 49] available through ProQuest, Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (access by subscription).

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• [http://catalog.nypl.org/record=b20582449~S1 Louise Hunter scrapbook] in the Music Division of [http://www.nypl.org/locations/lpa The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]
• [http://winnetkahistory.org/gazette/the-windsor-house/ Curry, Susan. "House of the Season: The Windsor House," Winnetka Historical Society]

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Category:American operatic sopranos

Category:People from Middletown, Ohio

Category:American musical theatre actresses

Category:Date of birth unknown

Category:1981 deaths

Category:Singers from Ohio

Category:Classical musicians from Ohio