The American soprano Helen Louise McCown was born in Charleston West Virginia. She graduated from the Juilliard School of Music where she received top honors. Her vocal teachers and coaches included Willem Van Giesen, Paul Althous, L.S. Fabri, and Coenraad V. Bos.
The talented soprano appeared with the New York Symphony under Leopold Prince and has been successful in radio concert broadcasts in New York and the South. She had her own television show on WSAZ in Huntington West Virginia and performed at the renowned Greenbrier Hotel with the Meyer Davis Orchestra. The soprano performed at Max Loew's NY 79th street nightclub "The Viennese Lantern."
Whether she sings German Lieder or American folk-songs, operatic arias or operetta, Helen McCown wins public enthusiasm.
Press quotes....
"Warmly received for some beautiful singing - she has an engaging personality, is appealing to the eye, is a serious-minded musician and her diction is good."
Her charm, poise and vocal skill held the audience spellbound as she sang...""Her dramatic soprano voice is ideally suited to the exacting arias of 'Elijah.' It is a voice of exquisite beauty and dramatic structure. Her high tones were sung with keen fidelity to pitch and her low tones were sung with the breadth and warmth associated customarily with the Contralto voice."
Program book from a performance at Carnegie Hall
on Saturday, May 25th, 1963 where she sang Al Di La by G. Onida.
Al Di La
Al Di La
Non credevo possibile,
Se potessero dire queste parole:
Al di lá del bene più prezioso, ci sei tu.
Al di lá del sogno più ambizioso, ci sei tu.
Al di lá delle cose più belle.
Al di lá delle stelle, ci sei tu.
Al di lá, ci sei tu per me, per me, soltanto per me.
Al di lá del mare più profondo, ci sei tu.
Al di lá de i limiti del mondo, ci sei tu.
Al di lá della volta infinita, al di la della vita.
Ci sei tu, al di la, ci sei tu per me.
La la la la la...
La la la...
(Ci sei tu...)
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Al di là (Beyond) - Tanslation
Al di là (Beyond) - Tanslation
I couldn't believe it was possible
For these words to be said:
Beyond the most precious good, there you are.
Beyond the most ambitious dream, there you are.
Beyond the most beautiful things, there you are.
Beyond the stars, there you are.
Beyond, there you are for me, for me, just for me.
Beyond the deepest sea, there you are.
Beyond the borders of the world, there you are.
Beyond the infinite sky, beyond life.
There you are, beyond, there you are for me.
la la la...
(There you are).
Notes: Her teacher was Dutch pianist and accompanist Coenraad V. Bos. b - 1875, d - Chappaqua,NY, 5 AUG 1955. Coenraad V. Bos accompanied the 1896 première of Brahms's `Four Serious Songs.' His book "The Well Tempered Accompanist" is a classic text for singers and accompanists.
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