Gluck, Alma (née Reba Fiersohn)
Gluck, Alma (née Reba Fiersohn)
Gluck, Alma (née Reba Fiersohn ), famous Romanian-born American soprano; b. Iaşi, May 11, 1884;d. N.Y., Oct. 27, 1938. She was taken to the U.S. as an infant and was educated in N.Y. In 1902 she married Bernard Gluck; although they were divorced in 1912, she used the name Alma Gluck throughout her professional career. After vocal training with Arturo BuzziPeccia in N.Y. (1906-9), she made her first appearance with the Metropolitan Opera as Massenet’s Sophie during the company’s visit to the New Theatre on Nov. 16, 1909. Her formal debut at the Metropolitan Opera took place as the Spirit in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice on Dec. 23, 1909. She remained on its roster until 1912, winning acclaim in such roles as Mimi, Nedda, and Gilda. After additional training with Sembrich in Berlin, she devoted herself to a distinguished concert career. During the 1913-15 and 1916-18 seasons, she was engaged to sing at the Sunday Concerts at the Metropolitan Opera. She became one of the leading recording artists of her day, excelling in both serious and popular genres. She had a daughter with Bernard Gluck, (Abigail) Marcia Davenport, who became a noted novelist and writer on music. In 1914 she married Efrem Zimbalist. Their son, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., became a well-known actor. His daughter, Stefanie Zimbalist, also followed a thespian bent.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire