Before she sang at the Metropolitan Opera and Radio City Music Hall, coloratura soprano Beatrice Belkin was a Lawrence teenager learning music and teaching piano. A public presentation on Sunday, Nov. 8, will explore Belkin’s little-known story in the town where it began.
KU Jewish Studies Assistant Professor Dr. Samantha Cooper presents “Bringing Beatrice Belkin Home: A Jewish Opera Singer’s Early Years in Lawrence, KS” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center (917 Highland Drive). The event is part of Sounding the Nation at 250, a Society for American Music series marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“By bringing Belkin’s story to audiences at the Lawrence Jewish Community Center, I hope to highlight her remarkable story for contemporary local audiences,” Dr. Cooper said.
Belkin was born Beatrice Abrams in New York City in 1902, the daughter of George and Jennie (Schaff) Abrams. The family moved to Lawrence in 1916, when she was a teenager. Here she received her earliest musical training and taught piano lessons. After graduating from Lawrence High School, she studied at the University of Kansas, earning bachelor’s degrees in economics and music in 1923 and 1924.
She then returned to New York to study with Estelle Liebling, a Jewish voice teacher and former opera singer. Belkin held singing posts at Congregation Emanu-El of New York and Temple Emanu-El in Bayonne, New Jersey. She performed for Jewish impresario Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel at the Rialto Theatre and Radio City Music Hall and sang concerts in Berlin and Amsterdam. In 1930 she signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera Company, making her debut as the Dew Man in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.
Belkin never let go of Kansas. Headlines in the press of the time capture her continued pride in her Kansas roots, and she repeatedly returned to KU to perform at music festivals and other performances. She also maintained connections with the Jewish community throughout her operatic career. She died in 1998.
The Nov. 8 presentation draws on press coverage and archival findings to uncover Belkin’s early years in Lawrence and explore how they shaped her musical career. This free event is open to the public. For more information, visit sam250.org event page.