Joan Wheatley is an American mezzo-soprano[1] singer who performed in personal appearances, on radio, and on Broadway.

Early years

Born in Artesia, New Mexico, Wheatley is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rex Wheatley.[2] She first studied piano when she was five years old. She gave piano recitals while she was a high school student,[3] and she played flute in the Pecos Valley Junior High School orchestra[4] and in the New Mexico Junior High and High School Orchestra.[5]

At Occidental College Wheatley studied flute, piano, and voice,[6] was president of her sophomore class,[7] and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[3] She began graduate study at Columbia University with plans to be a missionary in India. However, when she reunited with a college friend who was a member of Fred Waring's glee club, musical interests became her primary focus. A successful audition with Waring combined with the sickness of a glee club member to give her an opportunity to become a soloist for Waring.[8] She also went on to earn a master's degree in sociology from Columbia.[3] In 1942, Wheatley received a scholarship funded by Mary Martin through Paramount Studios. Wheatley was selected from 50 young women who auditioned out of 250 initial applicants.[9]

Career

In May 1940, Wheatley was singing on a weekly variety program on WNYC radio in New York City.[10] She also sang on the RCA Victor Show and on An Invitation to Music, a symphony program on CBS.[3]

Wheatley sang with the Collegiate Chorale and the Light Opera Repertory Company of New York.[3] In 1942, she appeared in a revival of The New Moon at Carnegie Hall.[11] On Broadway, she performed in The Merry Widow (1942) and Rosalinda (1942).[12]

After Fred Waring heard Wheatley sing in 1945, she became a featured soloist with his Pennsylvanians musical group.[3] Her first solo performance on Waring's radio program came on March 22, 1945,[13] and she went on to sing solos regularly on his broadcasts on radio and television.[2]

During World War II, Wheatley sang for wounded military personnel in hospitals.[3] In 1946, she decided to combine her college training with her musical abilities to study the then-new field of musical therapy, both as a performer and as a developer of new techniques in that field. She said that she would be able to work in that area while continuing to sing with Waring.[14]

In July 1953, Wheatley began singing nightly in the Pagoda Room of the Saxony Hotel in Miami.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Fred Waring Starts KSD Daytime Series". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 3, 1945. p. 5 H. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Joan Wheatley, Waring Soloist, To Visit Artesia". Carlsbad Current-Argus. December 20, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bound Brook Chorus Names Miss Joan Wheatley, Soloist". The Central New Jersey Home News. January 18, 1951. p. 6. Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Valley Junior High Orchestra and Band". The Roswell Daily Record. December 2, 1931. p. 4. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Music festival be at Artesia March 17, 18, 19". The Roswell Daily Record. March 16, 1932. p. 4. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Joan Wheatley in recital Wed. eve". The Eagle Rock Advertiser. California, Los Angeles. April 17, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Elected". Daily News. California, Los Angeles. November 23, 1936. p. 23. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Waring Troupe in Concert in Auditorium Here Today". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. March 16, 1947. p. L14. Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Martin Award to Singer Is Made". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 1, 1942. p. 17. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Ranson, Jo (May 17, 1940). "Radio Dial Log". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 26. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Price, Edgar (August 19, 1942). "The . . . . Premier . . ". The Brooklyn Citizen. p. 9. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Joan Wheatley". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  13. ↑ Jordan, Turner (March 22, 1945). "Waring 'Spots' Joan Wheatley". The Birmingham News. p. 2. Retrieved June 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Singer Combines Career and Study". Port Clinton Herald and Republican. November 15, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Changes In Scenery". The Miami Herald. July 10, 1953. p. 8. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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