Christine Nielson Dreier

Christine Nielson Dreier (née Dorothea Christine Nielson; stage name, Christine Nielson; June 10, 1866 – May 15, 1926) was an American concert and oratorio singer, a contralto of wide range. She was soloist in Chicago's First Presbyterian Church for 18 years. Dreier also performed at the Exposition Universelle (Paris, 1889) and the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893).

Christine Nielson Dreier
B&W portrait photo of a woman in a light-colored blouse and a choker necklace, with her hair in an up-do; her signature is along the bottom of the photo.
Portrait from A Woman of the Century
Born
Dorothea Christine Nielson

(1866-06-10)June 10, 1866
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedMay 14, 1926(1926-05-14) (aged 59)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesChristine Nielson
OccupationContralto
Spouse
Otto Albert Dreier
​
(m. 1891)​

Early life and education

Dorothea Christine Nielson[1] born in Madison, Wisconsin, June 10, 1866.[2] Of Norwegian parentage,[3][lower-alpha 1] the father was Andrew Nielson (1830-1897) and the mother was Cecilia (Baerntson) Nielson (1828-1894)).[1] Both parents were among the early Scandinavian immigrants to the U.S. and settled in Chicago in 1851, afterward removing to Madison.[2] Dreier's siblings were: Carie (b. 1851), Nels (b. 1856), Bernhard (b. 1857), Andreas (b. 1860), Samuel (b. 1861), Bertha (b. 1863), Edward (b. 1869), and Lillie (b. 1873).[1]

Dreier's first teacher, and the one to discover her capabilities, was Prof. T. A. Brand. She then studied with Mary J. De Moe (Mrs. Earl C. De Moe), herself a successful concert singer. Neilson began to sing in public at the age of thirteen, attracting, at an orphan's home concert in Madison, the attention of those whose foresight discovered future fame for the young vocalist. She chose Chicago for her more advanced studies, and became the pupil of Mrs. Sara Hershey-Eddy.[2]

Career

She accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Eddy to Europe in 1889, and after singing with great success in London, Paris, and Copenhagen, Dreier spent a year or more in London as a pupil of George Henschel.[2] Dreier sang at the Trocadero at the Exposition Universelle (Paris, 1889). Later, she sang at the dedication of the pipe organ in the Auditorium. During the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, 1893),[5] she sang in oratorios, notably Mendelssohn's Elijah, with Lillian Nordica.[3] The comments of U.S. and foreign press were highly complimentary.[2]

She was soloist in Chicago's First Presbyterian Church for 18 years.[3][6] In later life, she sang for a time in the Evanston First Presbyterian church and in the New England church.[3]

Dreier served as president of the Lake View Musical Society, Chicago.[7]

Personal life

Dreier retained her maiden name on the stage, although on June 4, 1891, she married Otto Albert Dreier (b. 1865).[1] Since 1886, he served as the Danish Vice-Consul in Chicago, where they made their home.[2]

Christine Nielson Dreier died at Augustana Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, May 15, 1926,[3][8] after undergoing an operation a few days earlier.[9]

Notes
  1. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Dreier was Danish.[4]

References
  1. "Dorothea Christine Nielson Female1866 – Deceased". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  2. Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "DREIER, Mrs. Christine Nielson". A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Charles Wells Moulton. p. 260. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "MRS. OTTO DREIER, NOTED SINGER, IS TAKEN BY DEATH". Chicago Tribune. 16 May 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. "Dreier, Christine (Nielson) - Obituary". Wisconsin Historical Society. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  5. "Noted Contralto Dies". Evening star. 17 May 1926. p. 30. Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. Otis, Philo Adams (1913). The First Presbyterian Church 1833-1913. A History of the Oldest Organization in Chicago With Biographical Sketches of the Ministers and Extracts from the choir Records. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Co. p. 134. ISBN 978-5-88230-217-6. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. Mills, Helen Harrison (November 1918). "Music in the Central District". The Musical Monitor. Mrs. David Allen Campbell, Publisher. 8 (3): 149. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. Lyman, Robert Hunt, ed. (1927). The World Almanac & Book of Facts. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 122. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. "Faous Madison Contralto Dies". Wisconsin State Journal. 17 May 1926. p. 1. Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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