Zona Maie Griswold

Zona Maie Griswold (December 19, 1889 – November 26, 1961) was an American soprano singer from Texas.

Zona Maie Griswold
Zona Maie Griswold, from a 1917 publication.
BornDecember 19, 1889
Mulhall, Oklahoma
DiedNovember 26, 1961
Des Moines, Iowa
NationalityAmerican
Other namesZona Griswold, Zona Maie Fimmen (after marriage)
Occupationopera singer, concert

Early life and education

Zona Maie Griswold was born in Mulhall, Oklahoma and raised in Dallas, Texas,[1] the daughter of John Nelson Griswold and Florence Belle Young Griswold. Her father worked as a railroad freight agent;[2] her mother was a song composer.[3] Zona Maie Griswold studied voice at the New England Conservatory of Music, with further training in Berlin.[4]

Career

In 1914 Griswold was one of the soloists at the Texas State Saengerfest.[4][5] She also sang with the Grand Saline Band and the Apollo Chorus of Fort Worth.[6][7]

During her time in New York, Griswold was soloist at Glen Ridge Congregational Church in New Jersey, and sang regularly at other churches and clubs,[8][9][10] and often on radio in the 1920s.[11][12] "Her limpid, clear, vibrant tone quality, her excellent musicianship, and her serious devotion to artistic ideals have gained for her a widespread demand to sing more songs more frequently," according to a 1924 report.[13]

She appeared (as an opera singer) on Broadway in The Guardsman (1924-1925). She also taught singing in New York.[14]

Personal life

Zona Maie Griswold married businessman Edward August Fimmen in 1916. They had daughters, Zona Maie (born 1917) and Florence Lilly (born 1919).[15] She was widowed when Edward died in 1947.[16] She died from Parkinson's disease in 1961, aged 71, while living with her daughter in Des Moines, Iowa.[17] She was buried in Dallas.[18]

References
  1. "Zona Maie Griswold" Music News (May 25, 1917): 27.
  2. "Made Traffic Manager" Santa Fe Employes' Magazine (April 1910): 64.
  3. E. D. B., "Two New Organizations Formed in Dallas, Tex." Musical America (July 24, 1915): 8.
  4. Sinclair Moreland, The Texas Women's Hall of Fame (Biographical Press 1917): 246-247.
  5. "German Singers Win Praise of Critics" Galveston Daily News (May 13, 1914): 5. via NewspaperArchive.com
  6. "Zona Maie Griswold Winning Success in Texas" (January 25, 1917): 36.
  7. "Zona Maie Griswold Scores in Dallas" Musical Courier (March 22, 1917): 50.
  8. "Zona Maie Griswold, Soloist at Century Theater Club" Musical Courier (May 24, 1917): 49.
  9. "Zona Maie Griswold Sings Springtide Songs" Musical Courier (Jun 7, 1917): 39.
  10. "Woman's Club Starts Season" The Record (October 29, 1918): 5. via Newspapers.com
  11. "Artists at New York Station JWZ" Radio Broadcasting News (November 18, 1922): 10.
  12. "Operatic Soprano On Program of WOR" The Central New Jersey Home News (August 24, 1923): 5. via Newspapers.com
  13. "Secure Soprano" Battle Creek Enquirer (December 14, 1924): 11. via Newspapers.com
  14. The Musical Blue Book of America, Volume 4 (Musical Blue Book Corporation 1919): 216.
  15. Edna Waugh Townsend, The Griswold family, England-America, volume 4 (Griswold Family Association of America 1962): 20. via Internet Archive
  16. "Edward A. Fimmen, I. W. C. Alumnus, Dies" The Mt. Pleasant News (October 13, 1947): 1. via NewspaperArchive.com
  17. "Mrs. Fimmen Services Set" Des Moines Tribune (November 27, 1961): 17. via Newspapers.com
  18. "Fimmen" Des Moines Tribune (November 27, 1961): 19. via Newspapers.com
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