RIP: Opera Singer Harriet Greene dies at 96
LUCILLE SEGAL, (aka Harriet Greene), 96, died August 14, 2016 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood. She was born in NYC to Morris and Jenny Greenberg, and sister to Beatrice. Lucille graduated from the Juilliard School, where she met her husband, Marvin, a composition major. They were married for 56 years until Marvin's death in 2001. Lucille sang with the Metropolitan Opera chorus for 3 years and with the New York City Opera for 25 years. Lucille is survived by her 3 children, Robert, Jonathan and Stephanie, 6 grandchildren, Noah, Jennifer, Leah, Holiday, Timothy and Matthew, and 2 great grandchildren, Aldo and Aurelia. A memorial service will be held at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W 76th St, New York, NY 10023, on October 23, 2016 at 12:45. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to SMILE or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital .
OPERA SINGER LUCILLE SEGAL
First opera:
Her father took her to see Tales of Hoffman at the Met when she was 10 years old. He was an opera lover "who couldn't really carry a tune."
Training:
Graduated from Juilliard in 1936. She also met her husband there.
150 productions:
Including three years with the Metropolitan Opera in the extra chorus when her children were young; 25 years with the New York City Opera beginning in 1943, the year it was founded. Lucille's stage name was Harriet Greene.
On New York City Opera:
"Mayor LaGuardia gave us the City Center building for a dollar a year, and that made it possible. Can you believe the highest price ticket was $3? That shows how old I am!"
Favorite operas:
"The ones we did the most were La Traviata and Carmen. They were our 'homes' so to speak. I liked doing Gilbert and Sullivan. They were always fun."
On Placido Domingo:
Lucille met Domingo when he was 23, when he made his City Opera debut in the title role in the U.S. premiere of Alberto Ginastera's Don Rodrigo (1966). "He is a lovely man, very interesting and very amusing. A wonderful musician… He was a big hit right away."
On being Mommie:
"When somebody asked my son, 'what does your mother do?' he said, 'She's an opera singer.' And they said, 'What's her name?' and he said, 'Mommie.' I think 'Mommie' was the biggest part of my career." Lucille has three children, six grandkids and one great-grandchild.
Advice for young singers:
"Just keep doing it. Just keep trying. Eventually you get something. It may not be what you planned but there's so much enjoyment in learning new music and performing it. Even the physical enjoyment."
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=Lucille-G-Segal&pid=181884037