The Heart's Obsession: An Intimate Biography of Newfoundland Songstress Georgina Stirling

By Tonia Evans Cianciull and Calvin D. Evans

A standing ovation for Newfoundland’s international superstar opera singer, The Heart’s Obsession celebrates the historical ripple effect of one woman's voice—Georgina Ann Stirling—and brings her astounding legacy into the twenty-first century. Forging a musical journey from across the surging sea of Twillingate, this heroine conquered the hearts of audiences through Europe, the United States, and beyond. This is the definitive biography of Georgina Stirling.

The story of Georgina Stirling, who was also known as “Marie Toulinguet” and “The Nightingale of the North,” is one of proud heritage and love of family, as well as adventure and tragedy. The authors take us on a thrilling journey to experience the love and loss that “Georgie” must have felt during the years of her meteoric rise to fame. Calvin D. Evans separates fact from fiction as he examines the trail of documents and artifacts left behind that tell the story of Georgina’s life, while Newfoundland-born soprano Tonia Evans Cianciulli offers unique insight into the challenges faced by professional opera singers, both today and back in Georgina’s time.

Brava to this nineteenth-century trailblazer, who anchored her province on the opera stages of the world!

“As an opera singer raised in Newfoundland with an international career, it's fascinating to gain such insight into our province's pioneer opera star, Georgina Stirling. Tonia's draw to Georgina and her own Newfoundland roots is a beautiful story to which I immediately connected. It's a reminder of the great privilege it is to call Newfoundland my home.” — DAVID POMEROY, Newfoundland-born, Canadian Operatic Tenor

“As both a singer and a Newfoundlander, Tonia’s writing in The Heart’s Obsession sang to me in the story of two of our own finest vocalists separated by a century but bound by undeniable ties to their Island birthplace. Their careers have taken them around the world, but this is really the tale of how no matter where Georgina sang and Tonia continues to sing, they never really left Home at all.” — ALAN DOYLE, Musician, Author, Actor

“The Heart’s Obsession . . . tells the story of Georgina Ann Stirling, a long-forgotten opera singer from Newfoundland, whose career took her to both sides of the Atlantic. It also tells the parallel story of its co-author, Tonia Evans Cianciulli. . . . Meticulously researched, liberally illustrated and with great attention to detail, it is clearly a labour of love. . . . This volume is an important addition to our body of knowledge on the glorious history of celebrated Canadian classical singers.” — JOSEPH SO, Opera Canada Magazine

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flanker Press
• Release date: Aug 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781771177603

Tonia Evans Cianciull

Soprano TONIA EVANS CIANCIULLI was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is honoured to have embarked on this passionate journey to revive the life and legacy of the late Newfoundland Nightingale, Georgina Stirling, alongside her grandfather, Calvin D. Evans. She has toured her concert program, Nightingale Sings, across the province of Newfoundland, and in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Miami and beyond. In 2018 she was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant for this significant and historical work, and she is now a proud member of both the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador and The Writers’ Union of Canada. Tonia is a multi-faceted concert artist, performing her signature programs across North America and for niche events and fundraisers to rally support and encouragement within communities. She performs a wide variety of music, from opera to her own original music, and celebrates her roots covering the music of Newfoundland’s late folk hero, Ron Hynes. Praised for the work she does to shine a spotlight on two of her province’s most talented musicians, Georgina Stirling and Ron Hynes, Tonia has been featured in numerous interviews with CBC, SiriusXM, and Eastlink TV. Represented by Newfoundland’s record label, Citadel House, Tonia will be releasing two tribute albums paying homage to Georgina Stirling and Ron Hynes, to coincide with the launch of this book. The Heart’s Obsession companion album highlights repertoire most beloved by Georgina Stirling’s Newfoundland audiences, and Beckon Me Home is reflective of the love and connection to our island home that shines through the poignant lyrics and melodies of Ron Hynes. Both albums will continue to feature spectacular music videos that highlight the stunning landscapes in Newfoundland and its beloved culture, filmed by Twillingate drone artist Julian Earle, like that of her video of Ron Hynes’s “Marie.” In 2010, Tonia founded Wish Opera/Arts, a non-profit organization and community of supportive artists, in collaboration with Maestro Kerry Stratton and the Toronto Concert Orchestra. She has produced multiple fully-staged theatrical productions, concerts, and niche events that feature Canadian opera singers and artists. Tonia shares behind-the-scenes aspects of being an artist in her “Artist’s Spotlight,” an interview series that shines a spotlight on leading Canadian artists to inspire and motivate others within their industries. Passionate about supporting artists to embrace their gifts and talents, she obtained her certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming as an NLP practitioner and developed “An Artist’s Journey,” which offers programs, workshops, and performance series to artists of all genres, guiding them to develop and excel at achieving success and confidence throughout their artistic careers. Tonia holds a Bachelor of Voice Performance from the University of Western Ontario. She trains vocally with Manny Perez in Miami and Brian McIntosh in London, Ontario. With her husband, Frank Cianciulli, Tonia lives between Toronto, Ontario, and Miami, Florida. They are blessed with two beautiful children, Sophia and Anthony, which she homeschools while pursuing her musical endeavours. Tonia returns to Newfoundland often to visit family and perform, and she never misses an opportunity to search for heart rocks on her favourite Newfoundland beaches. She encourages you to look for hearts in your everyday life. You can post pictures of them on Instagram and hashtag them #TheHeartsObsession.

Book preview

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: The heart’s obsession: an intimate biography of Newfoundland songstress Georgina Stirling / Tonia Evans Cianciulli with Calvin D. Evans.

Names: Cianciulli, Tonia Evans, 1976- author | Evans, Calvin D., author.

Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190101520 | Canadiana (ebook) 2019014050X | ISBN 9781771177597

(softcover) | ISBN 9781771177603 (EPUB) | ISBN 9781771177610 (Kindle) | ISBN 9781771177627 (PDF)

Subjects: LCSH: Stirling, Georgina, 1867-1935 | LCSH: Sopranos (Singers)—Newfoundland and Labrador—

Biography. | LCGFT: Biographies.

Classification: LCC ML420.T723 C565 2019 | DDC 782.1092—dc23

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© 2019 by Tonia Evans Cianciulli, Calvin D. Evans

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of the work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without the written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall be directed to Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, 1 Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5. This applies to classroom use as well.

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We acknowledge the [financial] support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui [financier] du gouvernement du Canada. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country. Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil a investi 153 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for our publishing activities.

THIS BOOK IS THRICE-DEDICATED:

First, to the memory of GEORGINA STIRLING (1867–1935)

The Newfoundland prima donna opera singer with the astonishing voice and compassionate heart.

Second, to the memory of RON HYNES (1950–2015)

The man of a thousand songs.

Celebrated Newfoundland singer/songwriter whose beautiful song Marie helps to bring Georgina Stirling’s music and songs into the twenty-first century.

Third, to the memory of BRIAN GORDON EVANS (1959–1992)

My uncle and my singing inspiration (Tonia Evans Cianciulli) and our beloved son (Calvin and Goldie Evans)

MORE PRAISE FOR THE HEART’S OBSESSION

This lovingly written book opens up for us the fascinating story of one of the most interesting figures in Newfoundland’s cultural history, Georgina Stirling. My dear friend Ron Hynes would be thrilled to see this meticulous and detailed tribute to her life and legacy. We are indebted to Tonia Evans Cianciulli and Calvin D. Evans for this welcome contribution to the growing Newfoundland library.

— GREG MALONE, Canadian Impressionist, Actor, Writer of CBC’s The Wonderful Grand Band

"It is clear when you read The Heart’s Obsession that the life and times of Georgina Stirling have, in many ways, become the heart and soul of Tonia Cianciulli. The book is a compelling account of the work and dedication that it takes to arrive at the top of this demanding artistic career. Passion, drive, and unwavering commitment to the art have always been the hallmarks of success. The ‘look back’ at Georgina Stirling gives us a chance to ‘look forward’ with Tonia Cianciulli."

— DEAN STAIRS, Citadel House, Newfoundland Record Label

"The Heart’s Obsession is a historically educational must-read for any opera singer interested in the history of artists like Georgina Stirling who inspired humanity with their voices."

— MANNY PEREZ, Voice Teacher, Miami Music Classical Music Festival

Canada has a long history of great opera singers, with names like Vickers, Stratas, Forrester, and Heppner coming to mind. It seems only appropriate that two people with strong ties to Newfoundland and a definite love of opera should tell the magnificent tale of Georgina Stirling, possibly Canada’s first prima donna! Well done!

— BRIAN McINTOSH, Canadian Operatic Bass-baritone

"This book of two Newfoundland sopranos fascinates us, as a historical biography of Georgina Stirling, with an interlacing contemporary musical memoir of Tonia Evans Cianciulli. It informs and compels us on many levels, as an endearingly co-authored account by a grandfather and granddaughter in their distinctively individualized voices. The Heart’s Obsession gathers us in as a highly informing chronicle, juxtaposed with inspirations, aspirations, and insightful observations of a classically trained soprano, joyfully ignited by the flame of her singing Newfoundlander ‘ancestor in spirit!’"

— DARRYL EDWARDS, Voice Studies: The University of Toronto, Artistic Director: The Centre for Opera Studies in Italy, The COSI Connection, & COSA Canada

As a successful soprano songstress, Tonia brings an intimacy and depth to Georgina’s story that only an artist of her kind can. Throughout the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with Tonia and see her and her grandfather/co-author perform in the church of Georgina’s childhood. Tonia’s passion for preserving Georgina’s legacy is not only seen in her retelling of the singer’s life story. In her remarkable renditions of Georgina’s repertoire, Tonia’s performance goes beyond tribute and borders on a reincarnation of Twillingate’s honoured opera singer. I expect this work will bring a renewed interest to a remarkable woman in my hometown’s history.

— KYLE GREENHAM, Twilingate-born Journalist and Writer

CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Maestro Kerry Stratton

INTRODUCTION by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

INTRODUCTION by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER ONE: The Newfoundland Setting

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER TWO: Glimpses Into Georgina’s Early Years

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER THREE: A Spark Ignites the Flame

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER FOUR: Beckon Me Home

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER FIVE: Georgina’s Twillingate—Her Voice, Her Sea, and Her Family

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER SIX: Georgina Off to Europe—Her Career is Launched

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER SEVEN: Georgina’s Early Vocal Training, Behind the Scenes

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER EIGHT: Georgina Meets Madame Mathilde Marchesi

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER NINE: Georgina Takes the United States by Storm

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER TEN: Marie Toulinguet Returns to Italy by Demand

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Georgina’s Artistry and Her Humanness

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER TWELVE: Georgina Serenades Her Beloved Newfoundland

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Georgina’s Fall and the Long Interlude in Her Life

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Georgina’s Last Years in Twillingate—Trials, Mystery, and Triumph

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Georgina’s Vocal Recording—The Search Continues

by Calvin D. Evans

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Georgina’s Eternal Legacy, A Heartfelt Goodbye

by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by Calvin D. Evans

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by Tonia Evans Cianciulli

APPENDIX ONE: Bringing Georgina Stirling into the Twenty-first Century

APPENDIX TWO: Transcript of Kate Stirling’s Letter of October 1, 1884

APPENDIX THREE: The Children of Dr. William C. Stirling and Ann (Peyton) Stirling as Compiled by Milton Anstey

APPENDIX FOUR: Transcript of the Conclusion of Georgina’s First Letter and the Two Last Letters from Florence, Italy, 1889–90

APPENDIX FIVE: Transcript of the Printed Edited Manuscript

APPENDIX SIX: Summaries of Important Points in Hiram Silk’s CBC Interviews from the 1950s to the late 1980s: The Witness of Georgina’s Cousins

Observance of the Forty-eighth Anniversary of Georgina’s Death

Witness of Workers at the Stirling House, Neighbours and General

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

FOREWORD

BY KERRY STRATTON

What is immediately obvious about the blend of Georgina Stirling and Tonia Evans Cianciulli is that they are both sopranos from Newfoundland. It’s considerably more than that, however. Certainly that rock in the middle of the Atlantic has taught us that it is the home of song. We expect in her successful artists that we shall find that unbeatable combination of talent, determination, and a great portion of pure heart. We’ve also grown to realize that they won’t stay long when the wide world beckons. These two singers are plainly cut from the same cloth though a century apart, and what the story tells is not only history, but the present. This writer can think of no one better to have penned this biography than Tonia. This is the work of a determined woman telling the story of a sister equally as steadfast, and perhaps it is a distinctly Newfoundland tale, but more likely a story for those who will not be deflected from the course no matter what the challenges. The reader will no doubt come away with new knowledge of yet another underappreciated Canadian, but the real bonus in these pages is that we might leave them with a glimpse of self. In the music world it is rare that any two paths are the same, but what is common among the successful is the ability to create a new way forward. May you read this book with pleasure and see your own path that much better.

Kerry Stratton, Maestro

Conductor and Music Director

Toronto Concert Orchestra and Chorus

Conductor for Wish Opera

Radio Host for the New Classical FM 96.3

INTRODUCTION

BY TONIA EVANS CIANCIULLI

THE JOURNEY OF A HEART’S OBSESSION, ALWAYS LEADING US BACK HOME

Georgina Ann Stirling, you have had a profound impact on my heart and on my life. You’ve beckoned me home to celebrate my precious Newfoundland roots and to embrace my unique voice. Your untold story has inspired me to awaken your sleeping memory and breathe new life into your legacy and your heart’s journey. This story is a duet. We shall be two nightingales converging across time and ocean waves as one voice to tell your story.

— Tonia Evans Cianciulli, Newfoundland-born Soprano

WHAT I HAVE COME TO LEARN in a much deeper way these last few years is that we are all on our own unique path, honouring our own unique voices, whether in singing or in our life’s individual expression. And while we may have much in common with others with whom we connect in a deep and meaningful way, we are all different. Just as no two fingerprints are identical, there will never be another voice like that of Georgina Stirling. No two voices will ever sound exactly the same, as they come from completely different bodies, of both experience and in the physical, thus emerging from each of us in a tone, colour, timbre, weight, texture, and richness that is distinctly our own.

We are all individually blessed to leave our footprint on the path of life’s journey—little pieces of ourselves scattered around for the world to remember us. Throughout this journey I have come to know Georgina in a most beloved way. Georgina had her own special gift that touched her family, friends, and audiences in a miraculous way. She had her own story, her own path, her sorrows, demons, and her own light.

There was a time when I thought I wanted the life of a full-time opera singer—travelling abroad, auditioning, and performing in fully-staged productions with opera companies around the world. I wanted this so desperately that it hurt to imagine this dream not coming true. It looked at one point as if this was the path I was taking. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor in Voice Performance, I continued training and started auditioning in Toronto and beyond. I had glimpses into the life of an opera singer, performing roles that suited me well at that early point in my career. When I was on stage I felt alive. I was told countless times that if I wanted this as a full-time career I needed to leave Canada and go immediately to Germany or Italy to start auditioning. One particular memory of this very conversation with a conductor nearly broke my heart. It broke my heart because I knew I had a big decision to make. I was engaged to my husband, Frank, and wanted to start a family. While I chose to make having a family my priority, my life has unfolded in its own unique way, bringing what was perfectly meant for me into clear sight—and all in God’s perfect timing. At the time I write this introduction, I am finishing my fifth year of homeschooling our two children—Sophia and Anthony. Throughout these years I have been able to dedicate time to consistent vocal training and to create and celebrate myself as a classically trained soprano, actively performing as a professional concert artist. You will discover in the pages to follow how I was led on a journey that has resulted in your now holding this special book, The Heart’s Obsession, in your hands.

THERE HAS BEEN MUCH LINGERING MYSTERY and hearsay around the life and career of Newfoundland’s late Nightingale, Georgina Stirling. I’ve chosen to share some of my own experiences as a professional singer and the experiences of other industry professionals in order to lend understanding and compassion for the significance Georgina Stirling played in Newfoundland and Canadian music history. I view my role in this book as an interpreter. My in-depth research, professional insight, and embodiment of her and her music have enriched my musical interests as well as my singing. My passion—one I fondly refer to as my heart’s obsession—is to revive her memory and repertoire, and help people to see her and her musical life for the rich and beautiful legacy it is.

MY NEWFOUNDLAND ROOTS

My Newfoundland Heart

They can take this Newfoundlander,

From the place I got my start,

But there’s one thing they can NEVER take,

My Newfoundland Heart.

A little poem like this one helps,

My heart to take a stand,

To say—though I am somewhere else,

My heart’s in Newfoundland.

No disrespect intended for,

My home away from home,

But Newfoundland is where I’m from,

No matter where I roam.

Sometimes it’s only once a day,

Quite often it is more,

My heart drifts back to Newfoundland,

And thoughts of life before.

And so I hope the world at large,

Will try to understand,

It’s fine in other places but,

My heart’s in NEWFOUNDLAND.

— Author Unknown

I WAS BORN ON FEBRUARY 4, 1976, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the Grace General Hospital. My roots in Newfoundland are strong and plentiful. I am the eldest of four children, all born within three years, and the only child who gets to boast about being a real Newfoundlander. The older I get, the prouder I become of my roots. I love to travel and have a deep affection for many of the places I’ve visited and where I’ve lived. There is nowhere I feel a more profound connection than Newfoundland. It’s in my bones, my blood, and my commitment to its future preservation. As my mother used to say, You can take the girl out of Newfoundland but, you’ll never take Newfoundland out of the girl! I now take great pride in introducing my own family to Newfoundland and all of its splendour. My husband, Frank Cianciulli, and our children, Sophia and Anthony, have come to accept Newfoundland as part of their own roots.

My mother was born in Nova Scotia and was raised in Newfoundland. At sixteen she was crowned Miss Teen Newfoundland and placed 8th at the Miss Teen Canada Pageant in Toronto. She graduated from the Grace General Hospital in St. John’s as a registered nurse working in neonatal care, emergency, and psychiatry. She is now a real estate broker and owner of Century 21 Millennium, with branches in central Ontario, always ranking in the top ten Canada-wide.

My father, Fred Dyke, was born on Pool’s Island, Bonavista Bay. He graduated from Memorial University in St. John’s. He rowed in the boat races at Quidi Vidi Lake. Following his passion for Judo, he won seven consecutive Newfoundland Judo championships, three in the Atlantic Provinces, and three Ontario championships. He was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Judo Hall of Fame in 2017. We moved to Ontario when I was very young, when my father was transferred for a new financial job. After a successful business career, he is now a full-time Christian pastor.

Both my parents’ accomplishments continue to make me proud and have inspired and encouraged me to be the person I am today.

I have three younger brothers—Philip Evans, Trevor Evans, and Matthew Evans—who are among my best friends in life. They are experts in their various fields and talents and are all raising beautiful families. We all visit Newfoundland frequently and pride ourselves on keeping our roots strong. In fact, two of my bothers, Philip and Matthew, are also immersed in the preservation of Newfoundland arts, architecture, and culture, with a plethora of artistic and historical projects that they have personally seeded throughout their adult lives across Newfoundland. Philip is a principal architect with ERA Architects in Toronto and is the founder of an initiative in Newfoundland called the Culture of Outports, which derived from visits to about twenty-five coastal communities in Newfoundland in 2010 with our grandfather, and which focuses on the renewal of communities affected by enormous changing circumstances, such as the diminishing of fishing and the resources of the sea. Small groups of architects and architectural students visited Newfoundland coastal communities over the following six years to do design and build projects focusing on the history and culture of the region and which would capitalize on Newfoundland’s rich sense of place, restoring heritage buildings and reorienting communities. Also, on Pool’s Island, Bonavista Bay, there are now various art installations overlooking the ocean that my brother Matthew, in collaboration with a four-artist project by CTG Collective, had the honour of organizing and establishing.

Our family’s deep roots are spread across Newfoundland, making it both necessary and fulfilling to visit on a regular basis. My maternal grandfather six generations ago, Edward Evans, was a young Welsh warrant officer on a British ship which was doing fishery protection service for Great Britain around the island of Newfoundland and along the coast of Labrador. Around 1840, he met a young Newfoundland woman, fell in love with her, and deserted his ship when he returned the following summer, and they married and settled in the Bay of Exploits, where Edward started a shipbuilding industry that lasted through three generations, for about 100 years. The story of the Evans family is told in my grandfather’s book For Love of a Woman: The Evans Family and a Perspective on Shipbuilding in Newfoundland.

My paternal grandfather, Chesley Dyke of Pool’s Island and St. John’s, became a warrant officer (boatswain or bosun) at the age of twenty-one with the Furness-Withy Shipping Lines of Bowring Brothers, St. John’s, sailing on at least four of their large ships to and from the Barbados over a five-year period. At age thirty-five he returned to school and studied navigation, after which he obtained his master mariner’s ticket and became a captain of his own fishing and cargo ships. His exploits on the sea have been mentioned in four published books.

These are my family’s roots in Newfoundland.

Although life’s circumstances may require us to leave the place we call home, it will always remain exactly that. Home. Your first love, where life began, that special and familiar place that remains in your heart always.

No one knew this better than Georgina Stirling, as you will soon discover. It’s been an honour and an incredible journey to bring this story to life with my grandfather, Calvin D. Evans. I have been blessed with the example of this beautiful human being in my life. Writing this book with him is a memory and experience I will cherish forever.

We hope that you come to know Georgina Stirling as affectionately and intimately as we have. May she live through these pages in the telling of her journey and the music that she so passionately interpreted.

A DIVINE TURNING POINT

Once you experience a tragedy in your life, you will hear the tears in your voice.

— Brian Evans, My Late Uncle and Mentor

The first time I heard the sound of my voice was in church on Sunday mornings. From a prideful story my mother likes to tell, I was noted for my natural talent during a solo at a Mother’s Day concert at the age of six. Having children of my own who have performed in concerts with me, I have experienced the swell that parents feel when their children share their sweet voices; it’s deeply touching. My parents enrolled me in my first voice lessons with Rosemary Hebert, wife of the youth pastor at our church. I knew that I wanted to be a singer. Thinking back when I had entertained other career options that might have seemed more realistic, singing was always on the top of my list; my mind and heart knew no other option. Today, other than the joy of being a mother, nothing else comes close.

The turning point in my life that confirmed my path to become a singer could only be described as a divine intervention. My mother frequently brought me and my brothers to visit our uncle Brian. At the time, he lived in a beautiful Victorian home on the historic Bright Street in downtown Toronto. It was thrilling for us to escape the suburbs, to explore and be part of a city that was alive with such vibrant culture, art, and music. Like many young girls who wanted to be singers, I loved to sing along with the latest hits on the radio. At the time, Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler was popular. One evening, I proudly stood in Uncle Brian’s living room and belted that song out like the pop singer I wanted to be. Although I was thirteen, his words still echo in my mind today. Tonia, he said, you have a pure voice meant for classical and opera music. I sat on the sofa as he energetically told me what my next steps were. That night he sent me home with a CD of the renowned soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, called Ave Maria. This was supposed to ease me into opera? Uncle Brian told me to find a voice teacher in my area who taught classical music and that I was to learn the well-known song Ave Maria by Schubert for his upcoming Christmas party. I was ready to toss that CD and the idea of singing in a foreign language!

Two nights later, my mother sat across from me in the piano room, and we listened to that CD. I told her that classical and opera were out of the question—especially in Latin! Didn’t she realize how old I was? Clearly, she did, because she played the parent card and told me that I would give it a chance and sing it because my uncle Brian asked me to. Thankfully, she did. They both saw the potential of something in me to which I was blind, simply and understandably because of a lack of life wisdom and perspective. My mom has played a significant role in the nurturing of my musical career. Her influence and support have always been a strong force in my life. I don’t take for granted the sacrifices she made for me week after week, driving me to voice lessons, competitions, concerts, and auditions. Most importantly, all the encouraging pep talks to bolster my confidence along the way, all the consoling of my fears and my tears; she believed in me long before I believed in myself. It’s a special feeling to see my mom explode with pride and adoration when I sing. She’s always told me that even if she were the only one who got to hear me sing, she would be just as proud as if an entire audience heard me. This connection with my uncle was a meaningful experience for my mother as well. Since he didn’t have any children, she was touched that he thought of her children as his own.

Brian was passionate about opera. He sang in choirs growing up, attended the Canadian Opera Company every season, volunteered as an usher, and assisted the board of directors in fundraising galas. This qualified him to be as good a coach as any. He sincerely had my best interests in mind and delighted in the fact that I was fulfilling one of the biggest dreams of his life, which also became the biggest dream of my life.

That same year, I took regular classical voice lessons and started learning to sing in Latin, Italian, German, and French. My first classical voice teacher was a dear woman, Judy Harmsworth, in Toronto. She gave me the gift of a strong and lasting base for technique, which still guides me well. Dedicated to seeing her students thrive, she enrolled us in provincial competitions and travelled with us. Her support helped me gain the confidence to get up there and perform, no matter the outcome.

I absolutely fell in love with opera. I spent countless hours with Uncle Brian. When it came to artistic sensitivity and portraying the emotions, he was an impeccable coach. As a young girl, I could not fully grasp these complex emotions, and he helped me develop insight into the psyche of these characters to perform music of such depth and, often, heartache.

Over and again I would sing an aria or Italian art song for Brian and he would play me examples of the operatic greats while pointing out the inflections in their voices. His favourites included Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé, Jesse Norman, Kathleen Battle, Kiri Te Kanawa, and above all, Maria Callas. Maria Callas was Brian’s favourite. This legendary opera soprano is instantly recognizable and famous for the pure emotion in her voice and the intensity of the characters she portrayed. Maria Callas was the final element that converted me to opera. I became obsessed with her. I read books on her and watched her interviews and all her performance videos. She opened my mind to the world of grand opera.

Opera is predominantly sung in Italian, German, and French, and sometimes English. Subtitles will help if you are in a theatre; however, if you are listening to a concert or a recording, the singer’s voice is the key to unlocking the emotion to the listener. Much of Brian’s work with me was developing this ability to show the emotion of a piece without verbal translation. Out of Brian’s mouth one day came a phrase that I will never forget: Once you experience a tragedy in your life, you will hear the tears in your voice. I had no idea his comment was foreshadowing something that would mark my life and my voice forever. Two years later, Uncle Brian died of a terminal illness at the young age of thirty-three. I was devastated. It created a void in my life, and I couldn’t help but feel abandoned in my operatic journey. At eighteen I had lost one of the most significant people in my entire life. This tragedy is what gave me the tears in my voice. When I sing, it’s a true honour if someone shares that they wept without knowing a single word, that it helped them recall the sentimental memories of someone they lost. Or it lifted their spirits. This is one aspect that makes singing so fulfilling, and a sign that I am living my purpose. I often joke about this, but it’s true: if I can bring someone to tears, I’ve done my job.

This is the power of the human voice and its dramatic expression of the heart and soul. Heartbreak, despite its pain, can be channelled into something of service and meaning. Georgina Stirling and I relate on heartbreak. I felt a soul connection to her because she too experienced great loss in her life at a young age. It put the tears in her voice and shaped her to be Newfoundland’s greatest soprano.

INTRODUCTION

BY CALVIN D. EVANS

IT IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO be able to work on a major project with a grandchild. I am enormously excited and grateful to be collaborating with my granddaughter, Tonia Evans Cianciulli, on this book, which is designed to honour the Newfoundland prima donna opera singer Georgina Ann Stirling.

I previously had the opportunity to work with my grandson Philip Evans, Tonia’s brother, on the Newfoundland Culture of Outports project and the writing of two books on Newfoundland master shipbuilders. In yet another book which I am writing, our other grandchildren have already expressed an interest in contributing ideas and critiques.

One can only be mightily grateful for grandchildren.

But the focus at the moment is on Tonia and her expressed desire to revive the repertoire of Newfoundland’s prima donna soprano of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The person and the story and the songs and the music of Georgina Stirling are now relevant to the twenty-first century.

When Tonia was a little girl and we would visit occasionally from Guelph and Edmonton and Montreal, she would resist going to bed at night until the last adult had turned in. I took up the challenge on one occasion and began to tell her invented birdie stories in the hope that this might help her to settle down. It did. Birdies in these stories are not birds but bird-like creatures that talk, develop relationships with other creatures in the forest, and do a variety of interesting and magical and challenging things and have a unique life of their very own. My last recollection of telling the four siblings a birdie story was when they were in high school and they demanded a story during one of our visits. It ended in eruptions of laughter, a bit of embarrassment, and some precious memories. The birdie stories may have somehow fired the imagination of the young Tonia, and when she was a student at university, her first time away from home for an extended period, she phoned and asked me if I would write down a few of the stories so that she could read them at night just before going to bed and thus have a restful night. It worked.

In her very early years, Tonia assiduously compiled and jealously guarded a stack of what she called her important papers, and occasionally she would blurt out I got an idea, and she was off to shuffle her papers and initiate yet another event in which she often included her three young brothers. It was an indication of her boundless creativity.

Tonia did an inspired writing shortly after her uncle Brian, our son, died in 1992. Brian had coached her in the appreciation of opera, of which he was extremely fond and about which he had become very knowledgeable, took her to several opera performances in Toronto, and taught her the importance of discipline in her singing and performances. Tonia, in that inspired piece of writing, reflected on the incredible influence that her uncle Brian had on her life. It was a kind of thank-you letter.

I routinely weep when I hear Tonia sing, especially to a large audience, and most especially in churches. Perhaps the formal setting has something to do with it. But there is something else—her singing is so heart-expressive that every performance connects us with Brian in a very special way and reminds us of the care he took with Tonia to challenge her and help her to cultivate that expressive voice. We become more aware of Brian’s presence whenever Tonia sings.

CHAPTER ONE

BY CALVIN D. EVANS

THE NEWFOUNDLAND SETTING

ON THE ROUGH, ROCKY COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND, with riotous waves crashing against the solid rocks, many a voice has been shaped and honed to carry its message clear and far—from the rough voices of fishermen and mariners conveying a life-saving communication in a storm, to the melodic softness of the distinctive Newfoundland accent, and to the sweet sounds of island singers reflecting their quiet happiness or their unrestrained joy.

One of these sweet singers originated in Twillingate on April 3, 1867 (the year that Canada became a nation), and her love for and connection with the sea was evident from the very beginning. Her name was Georgina Stirling. She lived and played and frolicked and sang at the edge of the sea and gave voice to the melody that filled her young heart.

From about 1730, Twillingate was a centre of trade for both the Labrador fishery and the shore fishery and, along with Fogo, served as a business centre for British merchant firms in the fish, fur, and seal trades. Added to these was the lumber trade from the Exploits and Gander rivers. Even in 1843, when Dr. William Stirling, Jr., arrived in Twillingate, the town bore the distinction of being known as Capital of the North and Metropolis of the North, and soon after it became a major mercantile town serving Notre Dame Bay and had its own customs centre, where ships registered their cargoes for the export of many products. By 1843, Twillingate was a flourishing fishing and commercial centre with a population of about 3,600 people, and shortly after Georgina was born in 1867, the population had more than doubled in size. Since regular travel to and from Twillingate was afforded by boat, ship, and coastal steamer, the town could hardly have been described as remote. In 1924, with the construction of the Notre Dame Bay Memorial Hospital, it became a significant regional health centre.

Georgina lived close enough to the sea on Twillingate’s North Island to be lulled to sleep with its myriad sounds and to be startlingly awakened by its occasional fury, to be stirred and even frightened by its stormy, gloomy character. These fears often involved the dangers associated with those who go down to the sea in ships. The Stirling house fronted toward the northeast, and Burnt Island was too far away to serve as a natural barrier to the fierce winds on stormy days, yet it helped to quell the raging sea, thus offering a kind of breakwater for ships anchored in the spacious harbour. Across the harbour lay the South Island, and along the shore to the northwest lay the rocky shore that led to Paradise, Wild Cove, and Long Point lighthouse, with the incredible vistas of the sea that still inspire every visitor.

The harsh conditions of wind and sea and ice and snow will frighten some girls but produce in others a sense of adventure and daring that enables them to rise to any challenge. Georgina seems to have been in that latter group. A writer in England, sometime after 1896, in describing Georgina’s early life, wrote these words: Such latitude and freedom were permitted to her that although the daughter of a physician of considerable standing in his profession, she has been known when but a mere child to go twenty miles from land with a rope and a knife to kill her seal and tow it home in triumph. Undoubtedly, she and others her age would have been accompanied by adults who would have helped in the kill, but the words show the daring spirit of this young woman.

I asked an expert Twillingater, Eric Waterman, for a comment on the winds in the area where the Stirling house was located. He commented that the prevailing winds are westerlies, and added further: From May to September, the winds are generally west and southwesterlies. From October to December they are generally east to northeast to north. From January to April they are generally northeast to north to northwest. The seasonal symphony of winds added to the sounds that Georgina integrated into her panoply of precious sounds.

Georgina and her sisters would have followed footpaths to visit their cousins, the Peytons, in Back Harbour. Here the ocean is generally civil, even tranquil, unless there is an onshore wind. Back Harbour faces Twillingate Bight and the open ocean to the west and the northwest. As the young girls followed the footpaths, they would journey on beyond Back Harbour to Murray’s Cove and Davey Button’s Cove. Then they would traverse back toward Back Harbour Beach and on toward Battrick’s Island, following the beautiful crescent-shaped harbour.

Here in Twillingate, amidst the myriad sounds of the sea, there are sweet and lasting memories of Georgina Stirling—but also dark secrets about the tragic loss of her talents that may lie forever buried, that may never be fully revealed. She rocketed quickly to the dizzying heights of her professional career, but plummeted even more quickly to the greatest depths.

Georgina’s life was divided into two periods of thirty-four years each—1867 to 1901, years of joy and jubilation, and 1901 to 1935, years of despair, depression, and ever-approaching death from cancer. As there had been a period of grief and mourning with the tragic loss of three or probably four little brothers and her mother, Ann (Peyton) Stirling, during the first period, there was also an interlude of quiet contemplation, contentment, and even triumph, after she had settled at home in Twillingate for the final years.

We now know that the Stirlings had three sons, and possibly a fourth son, in addition to the seven daughters. The first son had died as an infant about seventeen years before Georgina was born, the second son died with complications from measles at three years of age, and twelve years before Georgina was born, the third son died from typhoid fever at about ten years of age, when Georgina was about seven years old. Amy Louise Peyton writes of a son who died as a toddler by accidental drowning, and claims that his name was entered in the Stirling birthday book as Peyton. All of these tragedies were followed by the death of Georgina’s mother in 1882, undoubtedly as a direct result of these tragic happenings in her beloved family. It is hard for us, perhaps impossible, to imagine what this poor mother, Ann Stirling, endured in losing all three or four sons. She had raised seven promising and gifted daughters, but all her sons were taken by untimely deaths. Her heart must have been irreparably broken.

The care and supervision of Georgina, still only fifteen years old, fell to the lot of the older sisters—Lucy, Rose, Kate, and Janet. The burden of the grief at their mother’s death must have been especially hard for Georgina at just fifteen years of age.

Georgina herself, after her mother’s untimely death, hardly had time to grieve naturally before she was whisked away to a life of formal academic and musical training in a foreign environment, and then to a life on the stage. She was not yet ready for the larger world when she was taken away from Twillingate by her sister Kate to continue her music studies, as well as other academic studies, in Toronto. This program of studies would have been carefully researched and approved by Georgina’s adoring but befuddled father, Dr. William Stirling, who was, himself, still grieving over the bewildering loss of his sons and wife.

It should be noted that there is a headstone marker in St. Peter’s churchyard cemetery giving the names of three Stirling sons only, so it is possible that there were only three sons born before 1874, and that Ann Stirling had a fourth son born after the third son died in that year (say 1875 or 1876), and after the headstone marker had been erected. Perhaps this, then, is the son who tragically drowned. Appendix Three discloses more definitive information on all of the Stirling children.

Georgina’s father had provided much of her musical inspiration, he with the violin and she at the piano. By arranging for her to go so quickly to the musical life in Toronto, he undoubtedly thought he was doing the very best thing for his daughter. The required training for her musical gifts was no longer available in Twillingate, but the required motherly support and direction that this young woman still needed at the age of fifteen and a half years would now be forever absent. There must surely have been an artificial quality to this new life, divorced as it was from every familiar and familial support on which she had depended for so many years. Did anyone really appreciate what this young woman had endured? Was she able to share what Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her book Gift from the Sea called the wilderness of the mind with anyone? The record is silent. We can only speculate. Perhaps her despair and depression in the later tragic years were linked to what had happened in these early formative years. Despair does not issue in rational action. Fame is a fickle friend.

The amazing and tragic story of Georgina Stirling—or as she also was variously known, Miss Georgie, Twillingate Stirling, Mademoiselle Marie Toulinguet, Madame Toulinguet, Nightingale of the North, the Florence Nightingale of Newfoundland, Newfoundland’s Nightingale, the Terra Nova Nightingale, the Songstress of Newfoundland—still draws tourists from far and wide to this spectacular coastal town. It is eminently worth the visit.

Gary L. Saunders in his book Doctor Olds of Twillingate writes on page 58: Twillingate, Toulinguet—a lovely name for a town and its pair of islands, seven miles from heel to prong with nothing between them and Greenland but a waste of ocean. One would be hard pressed to find a more weatherful place. Wind…forever sighing along the wall, keening under the eaves, driving boats to harbour, lashing the sea feather-white, riming the windows with salt. The sky…benign and sparkling one minute, drizzling the next, prone to celebrate with extravaganzas of lemon, orange and magenta before the day goes down to velvet dark. The sea…mutable as quicksilver, its distant rote the bass accompaniment of all life here.

This extravagant, complex statement captures the myriad complexion of Twillingate, Toulinguet. It calls forth the ever-changing moods that comprise this unique town.

CHAPTER TWO

BY CALVIN D. EVANS

GLIMPSES INTO GEORGINA’S EARLY YEARS

TWILLINGATE DEVELOPED A VIBRANT MUSICAL COMMUNITY from its early beginnings. The