Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-29
CALIFORNIA GIRL
SCORES BIG HIT

A MOTHER California girl has come
"a into her own OH the New York
IA operate stage; a girl, too whose
loyalty to her native state led her to
adopt its last three syllables as her
own nom du theatre.
Rita Newman, now known as Rita
Fornia, is the young woman whose
ready acceptance of an unexpected op-
portunity resulted in a triumph. Miss
Newman was born in San Francisco
and that city is still her home. She Is,
however, we'll known here in Los Ange-
les, where she has often visited friends.
Miss Fornia, to give her the name she
has selected for herself, might have mn
iShed her first season at the Metropon-
tan opera house as much a stranger 10
New York audiences as when she hrsl
went there, had it not been for the
illness of Nine. Eames a week ago last
Thursday night, when the California
girl substituted in the leading role
of "Trovatore."
It was 6:15 O'Clock on Thursday night
when one of the officials of the Metro
politan called Miss Fornia up on the
telephone and asked if she would sing
Leonora. 1t was a part in which she
had never before appeared. She had
been studying it, but had not yet had
an orchestra rehearsal. However, she
sang it that night and scored tr1-
umph.
Her Previous Roles
Previously in New York this year
Miss Fornia had only been heard as the
geisha girl in Iris and as one of the
Walkuren in die Walkure." Philadel-
phia had heard her in better parts.
One day Mr.. Conried asked Miss For
MIA to go to the Metropolitan and sing
for him. She went with a roll of music
and among other things sang Una
voce poca ia" from I'll Barbiere di ST.
viglia." She had sung the opera in
German, and she sang this aria IN thaI
language on this occasion.
Mr. Conried was sufficiently impressed
10 ask her to learn the role in Italian.
The young singer went to work. IN
less than a week afterWard Nine. Sem
brich became indisposed. I'll Barblere
had been announced for production in
Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. The
night before Miss Fornia was asked II
she would be willing TO take the part
Her pride forced her TO say yes, but sne
confessed that she had 10 stay up all
night to study II.
Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni she
also sang in Philadelphia without re-
hearSal.
In a recent interview Miss Fornia
Tells of Her Career
"I was born and brought up in San
Francisco" she said, land my voice
was discovered when [ was very young.
I also became ambitious to go on the
stage when 1 was very young. Patt,
came to San Francisco, and was Wlld
with desire to be another Patti. My
father wouldn't hear of it. He finally
consented to my going to New York to
study. Here ] met Emil Fischer. He
told me that my voice was remarkable
and that 1 must go abroad. l sent sc
many kilograms to my father that ne
sent me the money to go abroad Tor SIN
months.
81 studied in Berlin. and my teacher
thought / was a coloratura soprano
NV voice, 1 think, is a mezzo-soprano
but at any rate I made my debut in
colorature role, that of EudoXia in La
Juive.' This was at Hamburg, and II
the company at that time were MarloI
Weed and Carl Burrian. sang also a
this time Rosina in II Barbiere di 81
yiglia,' Inez in 'LAfricaine,' and the
Queen of the Night in The Magic
Flute 1 sang this role with the usua
transpositions, making f fat the high
est note. But l soon discovered this
colatura singing was running my voice
went to Paris and began to study
anew. The next time l made my debut
as a low soprano.
With Savage
This was with the Savage opera
company two years ago, when I sang
Ortrud in Lohengrin.' Amneris, Sieg-
lnde, Carmen and Santuzza were other
roles for which 1 was engaged, but be-
fore the season was over / had sung
practically all the parts in the compa-
ny's repertoire.
"All the sopranos and contraltos had
the grip but myself One night l was
announced to sing Elizabeth in Tam
hauser The woman who was to have
-,,,,o. Iyanuo ,.rac indisnOSed So I sung