Kathleen Howard Began, Ended Met Opera Career as Boris Godunov's Nurse

Summary: American mezzo-soprano Kathleen Howard began and ended her Met Opera career as Boris Godunov's nurse, a role she sang for 37 performances.

drawing of Coronation Scene set for Boris Godunov, designed by Alexander Golovine (March 1, 1863-April 17, 1930) for Sergei Diaghilov's 1908 Paris production, which was purchased by Metropolitan Opera for the opera's United States premiere in 1913: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

American mezzo-soprano Kathleen Howard began and ended her Met Opera career as Boris Godunov's nurse, a role she sang in 37 performances between November 1916 and April 1928.

The United States premiere of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881) took place Wednesday, March 19, 1913, with an Italian libretto, at the Metropolitan Opera. Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867-Jan. 16, 1957) conducted the premiere. The Italian maestro had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 16, 1908, in the opera house's 126th performance of Aida by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

The opera house had purchased the colorful, dramatic costumes and sets created for the historical opera's 1908 premiere in Paris, France, according to the post, "From the Archives: Boris Godunov at the Met," on the Metropolitan Opera's website by Peter Clark, director of the Metropolitan Opera's Archives. The Tuesday, May 19, 1908, premiere at the Paris Opéra had marked the opera's first premiere outside of Russia. Ballets Russes founder Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (March 31, 1872-Aug. 19, 1929) produced the Paris premiere.

The Paris premiere's sets were designed by Alexander Golovine (March 1, 1863-April 17, 1930) and Alexander Benois (May 3, 1870-Feb. 9, 1960). Ivan Bilibine (Aug. 16, 1876-Feb. 7, 1942) designed the production's intricate costumes.

Set designers Alexander Golovine and Alexander Benois and costume designer Ivan Bibilibine made their Met Opera debut in the opera house's United States premiere of Boris Godunov. Their production was directed by Jules Speck, Met Opera's stage manager for French and Italian operas from 1908 to 1917. He had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 14, 1908, in the opera house's 256th performance of Faust by 19th-century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893).

Kathleen Howard (July 27, 1884-April 15, 1956) made her Metropolitan Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 14, 1916, in the opera house's 27th performance of Boris Godunov. Including her debut appearance, she garnered 37 performances as the Nurse in her Met Opera career. She sang the role in 11 seasons between 1916 and 1928. She only missed one Boris Godunov season during her 12-season Met Opera career. She did not appear in the 1919-1920 season's three-performance staging of Boris Godunov.

In her debut season as the Nurse, 1916-1917, Kathleen Howard sang the role in all seven of the season's performances. Her debut performance took place at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The next four performances (Monday, Nov. 27, 1916; Friday, Jan. 12, 1917; Saturday, Feb. 24; Wednesday, April 11) were held at the Metropolitan Opera. The season's last two performances, Tuesday, April 17, and Friday, April 27, took place at Philadelphia's Academy of Music and Atlanta's Auditorium, respectively.

In the 1917-1918 season, she appeared as the Nurse in three of the season's six performances. All three of her appearances (Wednesday, Nov. 14, 1917; Monday, Dec. 3; Thursday, March 21, 1918) took place at the Metropolitan Opera.

In the 1918-1919 season, she sang the Nurse in two of the season's five performances. She sang both performances (Thursday, Feb. 13; Saturday, March 29) in the opera house.

She appeared in the role in the solitary Boris Godunov performance that was offered in the 1920-1921 season. The Saturday, April 16, 1921, performance was held at the Metropolitan Opera.

In the 1921-1922 season, Kathleen Howard sang the Nurse in all six of the season's performances. The season's first through fourth (Friday, Dec. 9, 1921; Wednesday, Dec. 14; Thursday, Jan. 12, 1922; Saturday, Jan. 21) and sixth (Thursday, Jan. 26) performances were staged at the Metropolitan Opera. The fifth performance, Tuesday, Jan. 24, took place at Philadelphia's Academy of Music.

In the 1922-1923 season, she appeared in two of the season's five performances. Kathleen Howard's appearances in the season's third (Thursday, Dec. 7, 1922) and fifth (Thursday, April 19, 1923) performances took place at the opera house.

In the 1923-1924 season, she sang the Nurse in three of the season's seven performances. The season's first performance, Saturday, Nov. 24, 1923, was held at the Metropolitan Opera. Kathleen's appearances in the sixth (Wednesday, April 23, 1924) and seventh (Monday, May 12) performances took place at the Atlanta Auditorium and at Cleveland's Public Auditorium, respectively.

In the 1924-1925 season, she appeared in five of the season's six performances. She sang the season's first through second (Thursday, Nov. 6, 1924; Wednesday, Nov. 19) and fourth through fifth (Saturday, Feb. 21, 1925; Wednesday, April 15) performances at the opera house. The season's sixth performance was held at Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York.

In the 1925-1926 season, she sang the Nurse in three of the season's four performances. All three of her appearances (Friday, Nov. 20, 1925; Wednesday, Dec. 2; Saturday, April 10, 1926) took place at the Metropolitan Opera.

In the 1926-1927 season, she appeared in all three of the season's performances. The season's first two performances (Friday, March 25, 1927; Friday, April 1, 1927) were held at the opera house. The third performance (Tuesday, April 5) took place at Philadelphia's Academy of Music.

In the 1927-1928 season, she sang in two of the season's five performances. She appeared as the Nurse in the season's first performance, Monday, Jan. 23, 1928. She sang her last Boris Godunov's Nurse, which also marked her last Met Opera performance, in the season's third performance, Thursday, April 12, 1928. Both performances were held at the Metropolitan Opera.

The takeaways for Kathleen Howard beginning and ending her Met Opera career as Boris Godunov's Nurse are that the American mezzo-soprano made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 14, 1916, as the Nurse in the opera house's 27th performance of Modest Mussorgsky's historical opera; that her last Met Opera performance took place Thursday, April 12, 1928, as the Nurse in Boris Godunov; and that her 37 performances as the Nurse were distributed over 11 seasons during her 12-season Met Opera career.

drawing of Cathedral Square in the Kremlin set, designed by Alexander Golovine (March 1, 1863-April 17, 1930) for Sergei Diaghilov's 1908 Paris production, which was purchased by Metropolitan Opera for the opera's 1913 United States premiere: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

drawing of Coronation Scene set for Boris Godunov, designed by Alexander Golovine (March 1, 1863-April 17, 1930) for Sergei Diaghilov's 1908 Paris production, which was purchased by Metropolitan Opera for the opera's United States premiere in 1913: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Godunov_Coronation_Golovin_1908.jpg

drawing of Cathedral Square in the Kremlin set, designed by Alexander Golovine (March 1, 1863-April 17, 1930) for Sergei Diaghilov's 1908 Paris production, which was purchased by Metropolitan Opera for the opera's 1913 United States premiere: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Godunov_by_A._Golovin_01.jpg
Set design to "Boris Godunov", opera by Modest Mussorgsky "Ballets Russes", Paris, 1908 Kathleen Howard appears fourth in the cast list for Metropolitan Opera's Thursday, Dec. 7, 1922, performance of Boris Godunov: uploaded Feb. 16, 2018, by Centpacrr, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boris_Godunoff_at_Metropolitan_Opera_NY_Dec_7,_1922.jpg

For further information:

Clark, Peter. "From the Archives: Boris Godunov at the Met." The Metropolitan Opera > Discover > Articles.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/articles/from-the-archives-boris-godunov-at-the-met/

"Debuts: Adamo Didur, Jean Noté, Paolo Ananian, Francesco Spetrino, Jules Speck." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 42000 Faust {256} Academy of Music, New York, Brooklyn: 11/14/1908.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=42000

"Debuts: Emmy Destinn, Giulio Rossi, Angelo Badà, Lenora Sparkes, Gina Torriani, Arturo Toscanini, Mario Sala, Angels." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 42010 New Production Aida {126} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/16/1908. (Opening Night {24} Giulio Gatti-Casazza, General Manager.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=42010

"Debut: Kathleen Howard." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 64010 Boris Godunov {27} Academy of Music, New York, Brooklyn: 11/14/1916.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=64010

"Debuts: Leopoldo Mariani, Alexander Benois, Ivan Bilibine, Alexander Golovine." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 54660 United States Premiere Boris Godunov {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/19/1913.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=54660

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Howard, Kathleen. Confessions of an Opera Singer. New York NY: Alfred A. Knopf, MCMXVIII (1918).
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Ivan Bilibin @IvanBilibin. "Boyar. Costume design for the opera "Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky https://wikiart.org/en/ivan-bilibin/boyar-costume-design-for-the-opera-boris-godunov-by-modest-mussorgsky-1 #bilibin #ivanbilibin." Twitter. April 25, 2021.
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Available @ https://twitter.com/konstantin_yuon/status/1387788680832638976

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/06/myrtle-schaaf-sang-in-54-performances.html

"New Production: Boris Godunov." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 239910 New Production Boris Godunov {171} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/16/1974.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=239910

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=162180

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