Iva Bigelow Weaver (October 8, 1875 — October 4, 1932) was an American soprano in oratorios and recitals, clubwoman, and music educator based in Chicago and Milwaukee.
Early life Iva Bigelow was from Palmyra, Wisconsin, the daughter of Harry Bigelow and Lenore Stacey Bigelow. Her father died when Iva was a girl; her mother remarried to Arthur J. Thorne in 1889."A. J. Thorne, Well Known Educator, Taken by Death" Janesville Daily Gazette (August 26, 1928): 1. via NewspaperArchive.com She attended the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1894 and 1895, with further training in Chicago and in Europe."Mrs. Bigelow Leaves Bequest; Former Conservatory Student Gives $500 For Use in Musical Work" The Lawrentian (October 18, 1932): 1."Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (December 6, 1912): 20. Her younger brother, Oromel H. Bigelow (1881-1966),"Whitewater" Janesville Daily Gazette (October 6, 1932): 9. via NewspaperArchive.com became a mathematics professor at Whitewater State College, and the Bigelow Residence Hall on the Whitewater campus was named for him.Richard Carleton Haney, Campus cornerstones, University of Wisconsin--Whitewater : biographical sketches of the people for whom buildings & facilities are named (1997).
Career Weaver was a soprano soloist in oratorio and recital events, most often in the Midwestern and Plains states,"Gary Choral Society Concert" The Times (April 8, 1914): 2. via Newspapers.com"To Sing 'Messiah'" Ellinwood Leader (April 22, 1915): 11. via Newspapers.com but she sang in Los Angeles in 1915,"Visitor from Milwaukee" Los Angeles Times (August 14, 1915): 18. via Newspapers.com and in New York City and on radio in 1926."Well Known Vocal Teacher Returns from New York City" Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle (September 10, 1926): 6. via Newspapers.com She was also a regular soloist at the Evanston Methodist Episcopal Church."Chicago Singer Here" Battle Creek Enquirer (August 8, 1925): 3. via Newspapers.com She also sang in a quartet on the Chautauqua circuit in 1912. "Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (September 27, 1912): 16. "She not only sings well technically, but has that poetry and warmth which so many excellent musicians lack", commented one reporter in 1914. "Her voice is powerful, particularly sweet in the upper register and of splendid volume.""Musical Club Chorus Pleases" The Decatur Herald (April 28, 1914): 6. via Newspapers.com
She was the Milwaukee correspondent for the weekly magazine Music News,"List of Correspondents" Music News (May 27, 1921): 36. and was active in the Musicians' Club of Women, a Chicago-based organization.Agnes Beldon, "Musicians' Club of Women" Music News (February 4, 1921): 13."Musicians' Club of Women" Music News (January 21, 1921) 26. She ran teaching studios in both Chicago and Milwaukee simultaneously."Iva Bigelow-Weaver" Music News (May 4, 1917): 28."Mrs. Iva B. Weaver Studio Again Open" Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle (September 11, 1925): 6. via Newspapers.com"Iva Bigelow Weaver" Music News (July 7, 1922): 17. She was a judge for Wisconsin in contests sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs in 1917."District Winners and Judges" The Musical Monitor (April 1917): 451. One of her students was contralto Charlotte Peege.
Personal life Iva Bigelow Weaver died after having surgery in 1932, in Milwaukee, just before her 57th birthday."Trust Fund Left to Lawrence for Music" The Post-Crescent (October 17, 1932): 5. via Newspapers.com Her gravesite is in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.Melendy's Prairie Cemetery, Eagle Township, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. After her death, a music club in Marshfield, Wisconsin was named in her memory."Iva Bigelow Weaver Club Meets Monday" Marshfield News-Herald (November 21, 1936): 9. via Newspapers.com The Iva Bigelow Weaver Junior Music Club of Marshfield lasted from the 1930s into the 1970s."Music Fest for Junior Club Members" Stevens Point Daily Journal (March 25, 1965): 4. via NewspaperArchive.com"Junior Music Festival is Held Saturday, Winners Are Named" Marshfield News-Herald (March 29, 1971): 13. via Newspapers.com
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