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H. Rocher
Clara Louise Kellogg, American Soprano (1842-1916)
n.d.
Private collection of T. Max Hochstetler
LL/20417
Clara Louise Kellogg was born in 1842 at Sumterville, South Carolina, but her childhood was spent in the North. Her parents was inventor, George Kellogg, and her mother was an excellent musician. It is said that Clara could hum a tune correctly at age nine months. When she was fourteen her parent moved to New York for Clara to begin musical studies. Kellogg made her debut at the New York Academy of Music on 27 February, 1861 as Gilda in "Rigoletto." She also was the first to perform Marguerite in Gounod's "Faust," a role which few have equaled.
She debuted in London on 2 November 1867 as Marguerite at Her Majesty's Theatre. She also was honored to be invited to sing at the Handel Festival at Crystal Palace. Kellogg had gained enthusiastic fans both in America and England. In 1872 she joined with Austrian Pauline Lucca and formed a touring company known as The English Opera Company, believing American audiences would enjoy the German and Italian operas performed in English. After numerous years of success touring America, she accepted an engagement in Austria where she sang in Italian with a German opera company. She also performed on the stages at St. Petersburg.
Clara Kellogg married impressario Carl Strakosch who served as her agent and shortly after retired. She was quite wealthy by the end of her career and spent much time on philanthropic enterprises. She died at her home in New Haven, Connecticut on 13 May 1916.
(Kindly contributed by T. Max Hochstetler, June 2007)
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