American singer
Zari Elmassian
Zaruhi Elmassian, from a 1933 publication.
Born Zaruhi Elmassian
October 12, 1906Died February 6, 1990 (aged 83) Nationality American Other names Zaruhi Elmassian Vartian (after marriage) Occupation Singer
Zaruhi Elmassian (October 12, 1906 – February 6, 1990), known professionally as Zari Elmassian and later as Zaruhi Elmassian Vartian , was an American singer, best known for her voice work on Hollywood musicals in the 1930s, including
The Wizard of Oz .
Early life
Zaruhi Elmassian was born in
Lynn, Massachusetts , the daughter of John Elmassian and Satenig Aloojian Elmassian.
[1] Her parents were both born in Armenia.
[2] The family had moved to
Fresno, California , by the time her younger sister Alice was born.
[3] She attended
Fresno State College , the
University of Southern California , the
Eastman School of Music , and the
New England Conservatory of Music .
[4]
[5]
Career
Elmassian sang on a radio program in 1929,
[6] and with the
San Francisco Opera from 1930 to 1932, in productions of
Hänsel und Gretel ,
Manon ,
Tannhäuser , and
Carmen .
[7] She later sang with the
Los Angeles Opera , and was a busy concert singer and church soloist
[8] in California,
[9]
[10] through the 1930s and 1940s.
[11]
[12]
[13]
Elmassian provided vocal performances for Hollywood musicals, usually uncredited, including
It's Great to Be Alive (1933),
Naughty Marietta (1935),
[14]
[15]
Orchids to You (1935),
Here's to Romance (1935),
The Great Ziegfeld (1936),
[16]
Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936),
Maytime (1937),
Sweethearts (1938),
The Girl of the Golden West (1938), The Wizard of Oz (1939),
[17]
[18] and
Broadway Serenade (1939). She was also the musical director at St. James Armenian Apostolic Church in Los Angeles,
[19] and a member of the Dominant Music Club, a women's club for professional musicians.
[20]
With her husband, she starred in an Armenian-language musical melodrama, Anoush (1945),
[21]
[22] based on the work of
Hovhannes Toumanyan , and the opera
Anoush by Armen Dickranian.
[23]
[24] They also released a record called Armenian Songs ,
[25] and she can be heard on another album, Oscar Levant Plays Levant & Gershwin.
[26]
In 1933, she was in headlines when she was questioned about the murder of dentist Leon Siever, apparently a fan of Elmassian's work at the Los Angeles Opera.
[27] Siever was founder and director of the Artists' Endowment, which gave Elmassian a scholarship in 1930.
[5]
Personal life
Elmassian married film editor Setrag Vartian in 1942, in
Las Vegas, Nevada .
[28]
[29] She was widowed when Vartian died in 1986, and she died in 1990, in Los Angeles, aged 83 years.
[30] The Vartians' joint gravesite is in
Inglewood Park Cemetery .
[31]
References
^
"Obituary for John ELMASSIAN" . The Los Angeles Times . 1958-07-29. p. 63. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Obituary for John Eimassian (Aged 77)" . The Los Angeles Times . 1958-07-29. p. 63. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
Obituary for Alice (Elmassian) Zakian , The Los Angeles Times (November 18, 2004). via Legacy.
^
"Armenian Film Premier is Set" . The Fresno Bee The Republican . 1944-10-26. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^
a
b
Who's who in music and dance in Southern California . University of California Libraries. Hollywood : Bureau of Musical Research. 1933. pp.
126 -127, 189. {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: others (
link )
^
"KTM" . The Pasadena Post . 1929-04-20. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Performance Archive" . San Francisco Opera Archive . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^
" 'Messiah' Solo Roles Will be Sung by Noted Artists" . The San Bernardino County Sun . 1935-12-18. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Modern Music Will be Featured in Lecture-Recital at College" . The San Bernardino County Sun . 1930-05-05. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Concert to be Presented by Chorus Mar. 3" . The Whittier News . 1931-02-28. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Soloist to be Heard at Tremont Temple" . The Boston Globe . 1939-08-26. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Recital Scheduled by Zaruhi Elmassian" . The Los Angeles Times . 1947-10-12. p. 27. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Gifted Pair Give Recital" . The Los Angeles Times . 1950-10-23. p. 39. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"NAUGHTY MARIETTA" . Library of Congress . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ Vogel, Michelle (2015-06-08).
Marjorie Main: The Life and Films of Hollywood's "Ma Kettle" . McFarland. p. 123.
ISBN
978-1-4766-0426-8 .
^
"The Great Ziegfeld (1936)" . AFI Catalog . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ Hogan, David J. (2014-06-01).
The Wizard of Oz FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Life According to Oz . Rowman & Littlefield.
ISBN
978-1-4803-9720-0 .
^ Scarfone, Jay; Stillman, William (2004-06-01).
The Wizardry of Oz . Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 242.
ISBN
978-1-61774-843-1 .
^
"St. James Armenian Apostolic Church" . The Los Angeles Times . 1981-05-05. p. 114. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
" "Our History" and "In Memoriam, Members" " . Dominant Music Club . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ Price, Michael H. (2003).
Forgotten Horrors 3: Dr. Turner's House of Horrors . Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media.
^
"Anoush (1945)" . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ Masters, Dorothy (1945-04-28).
"Two New Films are Spanish and Armenian" . Daily News . p. 57. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Gevinson, Alan (1997).
Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960 . University of California Press. pp. 40–41.
ISBN
978-0-520-20964-0 .
^
"An Evening of Armenian Music of America Pressed on 78s" . Glendale Arts . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
^ Levant, Oscar (1994),
Oscar Levant plays Levant & Gershwin , New York : DRG, retrieved 2020-04-20
^
"Diva Tells of Acquaintance" . The San Francisco Examiner . 1933-12-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Bishop, Anne (1982).
The World of Zaruhi and Setrag Vartan . Los Angeles, Calif.: Bishop's World Who's Who.
OCLC
22890998 .
^
"Zaruhi Elmassian is Shower Honoree; Weds S. T. Vartian" . San Fernando Valley Times . 1942-08-21. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Obituary for Zaruhl Emasslan Vartian (Aged 83)" . The Los Angeles Times . 1990-02-10. p. 34. Retrieved 2020-04-20 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Zaruhi E. Vartian (1906-1990) buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery located in Inglewood, CA" . People Legacy . Retrieved 2020-04-20 .
External links