THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

Sybil Gordon (1926-30, 1931)

[Born Manchester 22 Mar 1902, died Hatch End, Middlesex 17 Dec 1981]

Soprano Sybil Gordon (born Sophia Solomon) joined the D'Oyly Carte Repertory Opera Company chorus in February 1926. A year later she transferred to the D'Oyly Carte "New" Opera Company, but returned to the main Company when the "New" Company was disbanded in June 1927.

For the better part of three seasons spanning July 1927 and June 1930 she took the secondary soprano roles of the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury, Celia in Iolanthe, Lady Psyche in Princess Ida, Zorah in Ruddigore, and Fiametta in The Gondoliers. She may be heard as Fiametta in the Company's 1927 recording of The Gondoliers. Celia, Psyche, and Fiametta were given to Rita Mackay in March 1930, and Miss Gordon played the Plaintiff and Zorah for the rest of the season which ended in June, at which point she left the Company.

Rollins & Witts report that she filled in for Murielle Barron as Plaintiff in Trial by Jury in April 1931 on what must have been an emergency basis.

Miss Gordon then migrated to Canada where she participated in a complete cycle of thirteen Gilbert & Sullivan radio broadcasts on the CBC, with the C-I-L (Canadian Industries Limited) Opera House of the Air, from November 1931 to February 1932.

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