Iva Bigelow Weaver

Iva Bigelow Weaver (October 8, 1875 — October 4, 1932) was an American soprano singer in oratorios and recitals, clubwoman, and music educator based in Chicago and Milwaukee.

Iva Bigelow Weaver
Iva Bigelow Weaver, from a 1912 publication.
Born
Iva Bigelow

October 8, 1875
DiedOctober 4, 1932
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NationalityAmerican
Occupationsinger, clubwoman, music educator
Iva Bigelow Weaver, from a 1922 publication.

Early life

Iva Bigelow was from Palmyra, Wisconsin, the daughter of Harry Bigelow and Lenore Stacey Bigelow. Her father died when Iva was a girl; her mother remarried to Arthur J. Thorne in 1889.[1] She attended the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1894 and 1895, with further training in Chicago and in Europe.[2][3] Her younger brother, Oromel H. Bigelow (1881-1966),[4] became a mathematics professor at Whitewater State College, and the Bigelow Residence Hall on the Whitewater campus was named for him.[5]

Career

Weaver was a soprano soloist in oratorio and recital events, most often in the Midwestern and Plains states,[6][7] but she sang in Los Angeles in 1915,[8] and in New York City and on radio in 1926.[9] She was also a regular soloist at the Evanston Methodist Episcopal Church.[10] She also sang in a quartet on the Chautauqua circuit in 1912. [11] "She not only sings well technically, but has that poetry and warmth which so many excellent musicians lack", commented one reporter in 1914. "Her voice is powerful, particularly sweet in the upper register and of splendid volume."[12]

She was the Milwaukee correspondent for the weekly magazine Music News,[13] and was active in the Musicians' Club of Women, a Chicago-based organization.[14][15] She ran teaching studios in both Chicago and Milwaukee simultaneously.[16][17][18] She was a judge for Wisconsin in contests sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs in 1917.[19]

Personal life

Iva Bigelow Weaver died after having surgery in 1932,[4] in Milwaukee, just before her 57th birthday.[20] Her gravesite is in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.[21] After her death, a music club in Marshfield, Wisconsin was named in her memory.[22] The Iva Bigelow Weaver Junior Music Club of Marshfield lasted from the 1930s into the 1970s.[23][24]

References
  1. "A. J. Thorne, Well Known Educator, Taken by Death" Janesville Daily Gazette (August 26, 1928): 1. via NewspaperArchive.com
  2. "Mrs. Bigelow Leaves Bequest; Former Conservatory Student Gives $500 For Use in Musical Work" The Lawrentian (October 18, 1932): 1.
  3. "Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (December 6, 1912): 20.
  4. "Whitewater" Janesville Daily Gazette (October 6, 1932): 9. via NewspaperArchive.com
  5. Richard Carleton Haney, Campus cornerstones, University of Wisconsin--Whitewater : biographical sketches of the people for whom buildings & facilities are named (1997).
  6. "Gary Choral Society Concert" The Times (April 8, 1914): 2. via Newspapers.com
  7. "To Sing 'Messiah'" Ellinwood Leader (April 22, 1915): 11. via Newspapers.com
  8. "Visitor from Milwaukee" Los Angeles Times (August 14, 1915): 18. via Newspapers.com
  9. "Well Known Vocal Teacher Returns from New York City" Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle (September 10, 1926): 6. via Newspapers.com
  10. "Chicago Singer Here" Battle Creek Enquirer (August 8, 1925): 3. via Newspapers.com
  11. "Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (September 27, 1912): 16.
  12. "Musical Club Chorus Pleases" The Decatur Herald (April 28, 1914): 6. via Newspapers.com
  13. "List of Correspondents" Music News (May 27, 1921): 36.
  14. Agnes Beldon, "Musicians' Club of Women" Music News (February 4, 1921): 13.
  15. "Musicians' Club of Women" Music News (January 21, 1921) 26.
  16. "Iva Bigelow-Weaver" Music News (May 4, 1917): 28.
  17. "Mrs. Iva B. Weaver Studio Again Open" Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle (September 11, 1925): 6. via Newspapers.com
  18. "Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (July 7, 1922): 17.
  19. "District Winners and Judges" The Musical Monitor (April 1917): 451.
  20. "Trust Fund Left to Lawrence for Music" The Post-Crescent (October 17, 1932): 5. via Newspapers.com
  21. Melendy's Prairie Cemetery, Eagle Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
  22. "Iva Bigelow Weaver Club Meets Monday" Marshfield News-Herald (November 21, 1936): 9. via Newspapers.com
  23. "Music Fest for Junior Club Members" Stevens Point Daily Journal (March 25, 1965): 4. via NewspaperArchive.com
  24. "Junior Music Festival is Held Saturday, Winners Are Named" Marshfield News-Herald (March 29, 1971): 13. via Newspapers.com
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