Georgina Ann Stirling

Georgina Ann Stirling.
Image source: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage

Newfoundland’s Nightingale — the first voice of opera from the North

Georgina Ann Stirling (1867 – 1935) was Newfoundland’s first opera singer, performing internationally under the stage name Marie Toulinquet. A world-renowned prima donna soprano, she sang in major opera houses across Europe and the United States, earning the title The Nightingale of the North.

Born in 1867 – the same year Canada became a country – she was raised in Twillingate, Newfoundland, then still a British colony. She was the youngest of ten children, and her father, William Stirling, recognized her remarkable voice early on. Determined to give her every opportunity, he arranged for her to travel to Europe for formal vocal training.

In 1888, she went to Paris, later studying in Italy and Germany. She toured with an opera company based in Milan, as well as with groups from New York and Boston. At the height of her career, she performed to packed houses and earned critical acclaim.

But fame came with a price. At one point, Stirling suffered severe damage to her voice, requiring a long period of rest. The injury was significant and, compounded by recurring depression, effectively ended her international career.

She returned home to Newfoundland, where she gave occasional local concerts and lived a quieter life. She died in 1935 at the age of 68 and is buried in St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery in Twillingate.

Though her international stardom was brief, Georgina Ann Stirling remains a proud and important figure in Newfoundland and Labrador’s musical history – a woman who carried her voice from the North Atlantic to the great halls of Europe.

References:

Evans, Calvin D., Cianciulli, Tonia Evans, (2003). Stirling, Georgina Ann. In Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 16, University of Toronto/Université Laval. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/stirling_georgina_ann_16E.html