Eula Beal

Eula Beal (born January 25 1919 in Riverside, California - died July 29 2008 in Napa, California) was an American contralto. She was best known for her starring role in the 1947 movie, "Concert Magic" opposite Yehudi Menuhin where she sang music from several Bach cantatas. [ [http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1157 Concert Magic (1947) ] ]

Beal had a career as a concert contralto touring the U.S. in the 1940s and appeared with several orchestras including the Phoenix Symphony [ [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/arts/articles/0902symphony.html Symphony marks 60 years of musicmaking ] ] and the Los Angeles Philharmonic with whom she performed Mahler's Eighth Symphony under the direction of Eugene Ormandy at the Hollywood Bowl. [ [http://www.classicalcdreview.com/ormandy.htm Ormandy early recordings ] ] Beal also performed Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. [ [http://www.laphil.com/music/piece_detail.cfm?id=18 LA Phil Presents | Piece Detail - Gustav Mahler: Kindertotenlieder ] ]

During the 1948 season she appeared as Erda in Wagner's "Siegfried" and the innkeeper in "Boris Godunov" with the San Francisco Opera. She also sang at Radio City Music Hall and the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Pops. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/03/MNGARNETTE20.DTL&hw=bowl&sn=023&sc=119]

Beal's full time career lasted only a decade, as she chose to focus on being a wife and mother. She married well known aerial photographer William Garnett in 1941 and remained his wife until his death in 2006. She was the mother of their three sons: Bill, Jay and Don. She had three grandchildren: Erin, Nick and Geoff. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/02/MNGARNETTW3.DTL&type=printable GARNETT, William A ] ] Throughout her life Beal continued to perform periodically near her home in Northern California. She made appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and the Napa Symphony. She was also an active singer and soloist in the Napa "Silverado Singers" choral group and sang for many years in the Napa Valley for funerals and churches. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/03/MNGARNETTE20.DTL&hw=bowl&sn=023&sc=119]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://imdb.com/name/nm0063611/ Eula Beal on imdb]
* [http://www.amazon.com/Art-Eugene-Ormandy-Orchestral-Myaskovsky/dp/B00003XAV6 Eula Beal on Amazon.com]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCtW1RucS-w&feature=related Eula Beal sings None but the lonely heart by Tchaikovsky on YouTube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIdNBgyC88o&feature=related Eula Beal sings Bach aria with Yehudi Menuhin on YouTube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-KcRmidxTo&feature=related/ Eula Beal sings Ave Maria on YouTube]
* [http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1157 DVD review for Concert Magic (1948)]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220370/soundtrack Soundtracks for Concert Magic (1948)]