Case, Anna, 1888-1984

Anna Case (1889-1984) was an American soprano and composer who performed with the Metropolitan Opera from 1909 to 1920, and toured as a concert soloist until her marriage in 1931. She was also one of Thomas Edison's favorite singers, appearing on hundreds of his recordings.

Case started at the Met in small roles before gaining notice in the first American production of Boris Godunov, and in the Met premiere of Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier (both in 1913). Her other notable parts with the company included Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen and Papagena in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. She retired from opera in 1920, but continued an extensive concert career until her marriage to the millionaire Clarence Mackay, the father-in-law of Irving Berlin. Case was also a composer with several published songs to her credit. She continued to compose and publish music after her retirement from vocal performance.

Source: J.B. Steane. "Case, Anna." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed January 10, 2013, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O005839.

From the guide to the Anna Case papers, 1912-1969, (The New York Public Library. Music Division.)