Selma Amansky
Selma Amansky (5 January 1909 - 25 August 1987), also known by her married name Selma Caston or Selma Amanky-Caston, was an American soprano and voice teacher. She had a brief but prominent career in Philadelphia in the late 1930s and early 1940s; performing frequently with the Philadelphia Opera Company and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was married to the conductor Saul Caston who was principal conductor of the Denver Symphony Orchestra from 1945-1964. After he left this post, the couple resided in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where Selma taught on the voice faculty of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for thirteen years.
Early life and education
The daughter of Maurice and Rosa Amansky,{{cite book|title=Pierre Key's Musical Who's Who: A Biographical Survey of Contemporary Musicians|year=1931|chapter=Amansky, Selma|editor=Pierre Van Rensselaer Key|publisher=P. Key, Incorporated|page=74}} Selma Amasnky was born in Baltimore, Maryland on 5 January 1909.Selma Amansky Caston
in the North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004 While she knew she wanted to be an opera singer from the time she was six years old, she began her training in Baltimore as a pianist where she studied with Max Landau and Virginia Castelle. She auditioned for the Curtis Institute of Music (CIM) in Philadelphia at the age of 16, and was selected among 215 applicants across a three day audition process.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/americanjewishti1979unse/page/n271/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=Focus On A Resident: Selma Caston|author=Anita Grey|date=April 1980|journal=The American Jewish Times Outlook|page=27-28}} At the CIM she studied voice with soprano Harriet van Emden while an undergraduate student, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1934.
Amansky then pursued graduate studies in vocal music with Estelle Liebling as her voice teacher. Other teachers she studied under at the CIM included Ernst Lert, Richard Hageman, Alberto Bimboni, Karl Riedel, Wilhelm von Wymetal, Ernst Lett, Artur Rodziński and Fritz Reiner.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/overtones1940curt/page/n3/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=Graduates and Students|journal=Overtones|publisher=Curtis Institute of Music|date=November 1937|page=52}} While in grad school Amansky portrayed the role of The Wife the CIM's April 1937 production of Darius Milhaud Le pauvre matelot. On December 8, 1937 she sang a program with a chamber orchestra conducted by Louis Bailly on CBS Radio as part of a series of programs featuring students from Curtis.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/cbssponsoredands19colu/page/n405/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=CBS Sustaining Programs: Curtis Institute of Music|journal=CBS Sponsored and Sustaining Programs|date=April 1937|page=37}} On April 5, 1938 she participated in a concert featuring Liebling' students at Casimir Hall; performing a program of music by Claude Debussy with the pianist Sylvan Levin.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/recitalprograms1938curt/page/n33/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=The Curtis Institute of Music, Casimir Hall, Fourteenth Season, 1937-1938|publisher=Curtis Institute of Music|date= April 5, 1938}} On May 4, 1939 she performed in a CIM concert of music by Rosario Scalero; performing his String Quartet with Voice, op. 31 (also known as "Rain in the Pine Woods) with the Curtis String Quartet.{{cite journal|title=Curtis Presents Scalero|author=M.M.C.|journal=The Musical Courier|date=June 1, 1939|volume= 119|issue= 11}}
Performance career
Amansky began performing professionally while studying at Curtis. In January-February 1938 she was the soprano soloist in world premiere Harl McDonald's Symphony No. 3 for concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra (PO) and conductor Eugene Ormandy at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C.,{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-america_1938-03-10_58_5/page/27/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=Selma Amansky Soloist in McDonald Symphony|journal=Musical America|date=March 10, 1938|volume= 58|issue= 5|page=27|editor=Oscar Thompson|publisher=John F. Majeski}}{{cite journal|title=Washington Hall McDonald Symphony|journal=Musical America|date=January 25, 1938|volume= 58|issue=2|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-america_1938-01-25_58_2/page/4/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|page=11|editor=Oscar Thompson|publisher=John F. Majeski|author=Jay Walz}} Baltimore,{{cite journal|page=4|publisher=John F. Majeski|title=Baltimore Tenure Begun by Janssen|journal=Musical America|date=January 25, 1938|volume= 58|editor=Oscar Thompson|issue=2|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-america_1938-01-25_58_2/page/4/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|author=Franz C. Bornschein}} and the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-america_1938-02-25_58_4/page/22/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=Philadelphia Hears American Works|page=22|date=February 25, 1938|author=William E. Smith|journal=Musical America|editor=Oscar Thompson|publisher=John F. Majeski}} She later repeated the work at the Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan in May 1939; touring with the Philadelphia Orchestra to perform in Ann Arbor's 46th Annual May Festival.{{cite journal|title=Ann Arbor Holds Its Forty-Sixth Annual May Festival|author=Helen Miller Cutler|journal=Musical America|date=May 25, 1939|volume= 59|issue= 10|page=3}} She appeared again with Ormandy and the PO in January 1940, performing Maurice Ravel's Shéhérazade.{{cite journal|title=Philadelphia Hails Amansky and Elman|date=January 25, 1940|author=William E. Smith|journal=Musical America|page=24|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_musical-america_1940-01-25_60_2/page/23/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22}} In July 1940 she performed with PO under conductor Georges Sébastian; singing arias from Die Fledermaus and Eugene Onegin, the folk song "Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?", and Harl McDonald's Daybreak.{{cite journal|title=Opera and Ballet Add Spice to Al Fresco Season At Dell|journal=The Musical Courier|page=12|date=July 15, 1940|volume=122|issue=2}}
In March 1938 she performed the role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre with the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company. In August 1938 she performed a concert of arias by Richard Wagner with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Alexander Smallens at the Robin Hood Dell West, including "Dich teure Halle" Tannhäuser, "Du bist der Lenz" and "Ho jo to ho" from Die Walküre, and "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde.{{cite news|title=8,000 Hear Hofmann|work=The Musical Courier|editor=Leonard Liebling|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_music-magazine-and-musical-courier_1938-09-01_118_5/page/10/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|date=September 1, 1938|page=10}} In January 1940 she appeared with the Philadelphia Opera Company as Countess Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with Leonard Treash in the title role,{{cite journal|title=Philadelphia Opera Gives Mozart Work|date=January 10, 1940|journal=Musical America|volume=60|issue=1|page=20|author=William E. Smith}} and portrayed Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with the POC in April 1940 with Frances Greer as Adele.{{cite journal|title=Die Fledermaus In English|journal=The Musical Courier|page=34|date=April 15, 1940|volume=121|issue=8}} She returned to the POC in May 1940 in the title role of Georges Bizet's Carmen,{{cite journal|volume=121|issue=9|title=Philadelphia Spring Season Brings Ancient Music Festival|journal=The Musical Courier|page=32|date=May 1, 1940}} and the following October performed with the POC in the role of Tatiana in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_music-magazine-and-musical-courier_1940-11-15_122_10/page/n6/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22|title=Eugene Onegin Sung In English|journal=The Musical Courier|date=November 15, 1940|page=7|volume=122|issue= 10}} She returned to the POC in 1941 as Giorgetta in Giacomo Puccini's Il tabarro{{cite journal|title=Puccini and Ravel Double Bill|date=March 15, 1941|page=12|volume= 123|issue= 6|journal=The Musical Courier|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_music-magazine-and-musical-courier_1941-03-15_123_6/page/n9/mode/2up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22}} Desdemona in the United States premiere of Emil von Reznicek's Spiel oder Ernst? (performed in English as Fact or Fiction?),{{cite journal|title=Philadelphia Hears New Opera|journal=The Musical Courier|page=8|date=March 1, 1941|volume=123|issue=5}} and a reprisal of the role of Countess Almaviva.{{cite journal|title=Local and Visiting Opera Groups Heard|journal=Musical America|page=18|volume=61|issue=7|date=April 10, 1941}}
Marriage, teaching career, and later life
Amansky married the conductor and trumpeter Saul Caston on March 26, 1930. While known on the stage as Selma Amanksy, she was known off stage as Selma Caston or Selma Amanky-Caston.{{cite journal|page=53|journal=Variety|date=July 1939|title=Chatter: Philadelphia|url=https://archive.org/details/variety135-1939-07/page/n107/mode/1up?q=%22Selma+Amansky%22}} Her husband worked as assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra before becoming conductor of the Denver Symphony Orchestra (DSO) in Colorado. He served in that post from 1945-1964.Goble, Gary and Joanne, 2005 historical note, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725231338/http://eadsrv.denverlibrary.org/sdx/pl/doc-tdm.xsp?id=WH941_d0e33&fmt=text&base=fa Denver Public Library archival collection: Denver Symphony Orchestra and Association papers, 1922-1990] After moving to Colorado Selma focused on raising the Caston's two children, Marise and Martin. In 1961 she was the soprano soloist in McDonald's Symphony No. 3 with the DSO.{{cite journal|title=Denver Symphony|journal=The Musical Leader|volume=93|year=1961|page=21|editor=Florence French|publisher=J. French Demerath and E. French Smith}}
After 1964, the Castons lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where Selma taught on the voice faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for thirteen years. By 1980 she was living in the Blumenthal Jewish Nursing Home in Greensboro, North Carolina. She died on 25 August 1987 in Forsyth, North Carolina.{{cite news|work=Winston-Salem Journal|date=August 27, 1987|title=Obituary: Selma Amansky-Caston}}