If Maureen Forrester had had her way as a child, the world would have been denied her extraordinary contralto. Growing up in east-end Montréal, she was a tomboy, much more interested in advancing on the basketball court than developing her vocal talents. Fortunately, Forrester’s mother knew she had a rare and special gift, and ignited her daughter’s ambitions.
At age 18, Forrester boldly applied to New York’s legendary Juilliard School of Music, only to be rejected out-of-hand because she hadn’t completed high school. As Forrester later explained in a CBC interview, “I came home very dejected, and that was my saving grace. I stayed in Montréal, studied privately and progressed much faster… I missed a lot of things I might have learned at a school of music, but I’ve picked them up as I went along.” Blessed with one of the all-time great natural voices, Forrester had power and range that were extraordinary. A true contralto, she could plumb baritone depths and conquer coloratura heights with equal ease and beauty. Thankfully, her extraordinary sound has been captured on more than 600 recordings.
Forrester was a popular and frequent guest with all of the world’s great orchestras and was feted by such masters as Pablo Casals, Eugene Ormandy, and Leonard Bernstein.
Passionate in her commitment, not just to music but to all of the arts in Canada, Forrester worked tirelessly on behalf of dozens of cultural organizations, including the Canadian Opera Company, The National Ballet of Canada, the National Film Board, and The Canada Council, which she once chaired. She was awarded many accolades and awards as both a singer and spokeswoman, but ranked high among them were her induction as a Companion of the Order of Canada and her Governor General’s Award.
