Emilie Mechelin | |
|---|---|
 Mechelin in the title role of Martha in 1872 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1838-04-08)8 April 1838 Hamina, Grand Duchy of Finland |
| Died | 22 December 1917(1917-12-22) (aged 79) Hamina, Finland |
| Genres | Opera |
Emilie Mechelin (8 April 1838 — 22 December 1917) was a Finnish operatic soprano and pedagogue. She was the first singing teacher of the Helsinki School of Music (later to become Sibelius Academy).[1]
Johanna Sofia Emilie Mechelin was born to an upper-class family in Hamina in the Grand Duchy of Finland, the eldest of five children of Valtioneuvos ('Councillor of State') Gustaf Johan Mechelin and Amanda née Sagulin.[1] One of Emilie's brothers is Leo Mechelin, who later became an economist, academic and statesman.[2]
Mechelin trained in Paris in 1865-67 and 1869-70 under leading pedagogues of the time, including Pauline Viardot.[1] In 1873-74 she was taught in Stockholm by Signe Hebbe. She also studied for a time in Germany.[1]
Although there was no permanent opera house in Finland at the time, Mechelin performed at the Swedish Theatre and the Arkadia Theatre [fi] in at least six productions.[3] She also performed at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm,[1] as well as touring extensively in Finland and Scandinavia.[1]
Mechelin taught singing from early on, with her pupils including Emma Engdahl-Jägerskiöld,[4] Emmy Achté and Ida Basilier-Magelssen.[1]
In 1882, Mechelin was appointed the first teacher of voice at the Helsinki School of Music (Helsingin Musiikkiopisto),[5] which post she held until 1885, when she moved to Kristiania (now Oslo) and later to Stockholm to continue her teaching career.[6]
In the latter part of her career, Mechelin gave up singing almost entirely, dedicating herself instead to giving private lessons.[1] She occasionally performed at concerts until the age of 60, by which time her voice had changed to mezzo-soprano.[1]