Sterling, Antoinette

1850-1904

American contralto singer; born at Sterlingville, N. Y., of colonial ancestry. She showed a talent for music at a very early age, and in 1862 went to New York City to study singing with Signer Abella, having even then a voice of great range and sweetness, which later developed into a contralto of wonderful beauty. After a tour of many of the English provincial cities, the singer went to Germany and studied with Mme. Marchesi, then to Cologne to study with Pauline Viardot, and finally to London, where she became a pupil of Manuel Garcia. Miss Sterling returned to the United States in 1871, and immediately took high rank as a songstress, but remained in her native country only two years, appearing under the management of Theodore Thomas in a series of forty concerts. She then went to England. Her English debut was made in 1873 at Covent Garden, London, in a concert, given under the direction of Sir Julius Benedict. She sang also at Crystal Palace, at the Philharmonic concerts, at Albert Hall and at the Gloucester Festival. In 1875 she was married to John McKinlay, a ScotchAmerican. After her marriage she resided for the most part in London, where she was extremely popular, and attained to a high position as a concert singer. Her voice was a contralto of great volume, strength and purity. Mme. Sterling made her greatest successes as a singer of ballads.