Phyllis La Fond (born about 1875)1920 United States Federal Census, via Ancestry. was an American singer, also known as Felicia Baranco,"An American Stage Beauty" The Illustrated American (1898). Phyllis Baranco and Felice Valbuena. She lived in New York City, appeared on Broadway, and toured in the United States. During World War I, she entertained American troops.
Early life and education La Fond may have been born in France, and educated in Germany and Russia, initially as a violin student.
Career In the 1890s, Baranco appeared in conducted by Oscar Hammerstein on the Olympia Roof, and in The Ballet Girl (1898) at the Columbia Theatre in Brooklyn. On Broadway, she was a "Spanish dancer" in the revue Fiddle-Dee-Dee (1900–1901), and she appeared in musicals including The Three Dragoons (1899), The Little Duchess (1902), starring Anna Held,"The Little Duchess", The Cast (1902): 17. and The Rollicking Girl (1905). She was in a traveling company of Cleo in 1907, and DuBarry in 1908, both starring Mrs. Leslie Carter.
La Fond, a soprano,"Artists Join in Concert for East Side Coffee Stand" Musical America (May 6, 1916): 45. sang in concerts in New York and toured the midwest in the 1910s, often accompanied by Edna Rothwell."Phyllis La Fond Faces Busy Season" Musical Courier 75(11)(September 13, 1917): 31."Cincinnati Hears Phyllis La Fond" The Musical Courier (September 20, 1917): 29."Continued Success of Phyllis La Fond" The Musical Observer (May 1917) 55. "Miss La Fond charmed her listeners with the finish and beauty of her delivery, clarity of diction, and general artistic style," noted a 1917 report. During World War I, she sang for the troops at American bases,"Phyllis la Fond to Sing for Boys in Khaki" Musical Courier (October 4, 1917): 35. and she spoke in favor of women's trousers, saying "Many women have wanted to wear breeches for years, and now is their chance"."Phyllis La Fond at Mountain Lakes" Musical Courier (September 6, 1917): 29. She encouraged younger singers to maintain good health, wear loose clothing, and study languages."'Hard Work Essential', Says Phyllis la Fond" Musical Courier (October 18, 1917): 29. She also supported the work of American composers.
As "Felice Valbuena", she sang the role of Santuzza in productions of Cavalleria rusticana in 1921 and 1922.
References
External links
Felicia Baranco on a cigarette card, from the Ohio State University Libraries Digital Collections