Katherine Neal Simmons

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Katherine Neal Simmons
A woman with fair skin and dark hair; she is wearing a beaded headband, braids, beads, a fringed shawl.
Katherine Neal Simmons, from a 1916 publication.
BornAugust 1884
Sherman, Texas
Died1940
Other namesKatherine Neal-Simmons, Katherine Love
OccupationSinger

Katherine Neal Simmons Love (August 1884 – 1940) was an American soprano singer of Choctaw ancestry. She often performed songs of Native American themes, wearing an evocative costume of beads and fringe.

Early life[edit]

Katherine Neal was born in 1884 (some sources give 1887) in Sherman, Texas, the daughter of James Thomas Neal[1] and Mary Elizabeth Fuller Neal. Her mother was listed as "Choctaw by Blood" on the Dawes Rolls.[2] She attended Mary Nash College. She pursued further musical studies at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and in Paris and Chicago.[3][4]

Career[edit]

Simmons, a soprano,[5][6] sang professionally, as a church soloist and as a touring concert singer.[7][8][9] Her concerts often featured arias but also "tribal Indian songs", and she wore a costume[10] of beads, a fringed shawl, braids, and a headband.[11][12] She also sang Indian-themed compositions by Charles Wakefield Cadman, Thurlow Lieurance and others.[13] She was active in the MacDowell Club of Portland, Oregon.[3] She made a concert tour of cities in the eastern United States and Canada for the 1921–1922 season,[14] and met with President Harding and his wife in the White House.[15][16] She had a garden of 250 rose bushes, and was secretary of the Portland Rose Society.[17][18]

By 1926 she had relocated from Portland to New York City,[19][20] and was regional director of the National Delphian Society, a network of women's music clubs.[21] She also taught voice lessons.[22]

Personal life[edit]

Neal married twice. Her first husband was lawyer John Curtis Simmons; they married in 1905 and he died by 1920.[3][17] Her second husband was Joseph Kirk Love; he survived her when she died in 1940.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Interesting Visitor from Portland Here". Abilene Daily Reporter. February 27, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  2. ^ Mary E. Neal, Dawes Packets, MCR3276.
  3. ^ a b c International Who's who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: A Contemporary Biographical Dictionary and a Record of the World's Musical Activity. Current Literature Publishing Company. 1918. p. 447.
  4. ^ Maxwell, Lisa C. (2010-06-15). "Mart Nash College". TSHA Online. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  5. ^ "Pacific Coast Singer Visiting in Louisville". The Courier-Journal. 1922-01-29. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Noted Lyric Soprano to Give Concert". DuBois Courier. March 17, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  7. ^ "Katherine Neal-Simmons Fills Many Engagements". Musical Courier. 79: 30. July 24, 1919.
  8. ^ "Excellent Concert Will be Given at Church This Evening". DuBois Courier. March 18, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  9. ^ "Mrs. Katherine Neal Simmons Honoree at a Delightful Affair". Abilene Daily Reporter. March 10, 1921. p. 4. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "Neal-Simmons Unique Costume Recitals". The Musical Monitor. 6: 461. April 1917.
  11. ^ "Soprano to Give Recitals of Indian Songs in Costume". Musical America. 25: 33. November 4, 1916.
  12. ^ Winner, Vella (1919-03-16). "Indian Program Will be Given at Laurelhurst". The Oregon Daily Journal. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Portland Notes". Music and Musicians. 3: 15. June 1917.
  14. ^ "Katherine Neal Simmons on Tour". Musical Courier. 83: 36. October 6, 1921.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Simmons in Washington". The Musical Leader. 43: 131. February 9, 1922.
  16. ^ "Mrs. J. C. Simmons Calls on President". The Oregon Daily Journal. 1922-02-08. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Carey, Charles Henry (1922). History of Oregon. Pioneer historical publishing Company. pp. 408–409.
  18. ^ "A Distinguished Visitor". The Paris Morning News. 1921-01-23. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Mrs. Simmons on Return Visit". Shamokin News-Dispatch. 1926-10-22. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Music Club Closes Year with Recital". Altoona Tribune. 1926-05-26. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Mrs. C. C. Cooner of Kulpmont Heads New Delphian Club Here". Shamokin News-Dispatch. 1925-09-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "I See by the Dispatch That". Shamokin News-Dispatch. 1929-01-26. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Joseph Kirk Love". The Daily American. 1947-03-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-08-05 – via Newspapers.com.
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