Silvia Kohan

Silvia Beatriz Kohan (March 23, 1948 – June 27, 2003) was an Argentine-American singer and songwriter, based in California.

Silvia Kohan
BornMarch 23, 1948
Buenos Aires, Argentina
DiedJune 27, 2003 (aged 54)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter

Early life

Silvia Kohan was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the daughter of Sofia Kohan. Her family was Jewish, with Eastern European origins. The Kohan family moved to the United States in 1957.[1] She and her sister Feliza were raised in Pasadena and Los Angeles.[2] She attended Alexander Hamilton High School.[3]

Career

Kohan toured internationally with the musical production Up With People for five years in the 1960s.[1][4] She performed in musicals Zorba the Freek (1971) and Misa del Mar (1972), at the Venice Free Theater.[5][6] She also sang with the Los Angeles All-City Choir. She was a cabaret-style singer and songwriter who performed mainly in California, especially for LGBT, Jewish, and Latinx audiences.[7][8][9] Her signature original song was "Fat Girl Blues".[1] She released one album, Finally Real (Dancing Cat Records, 1984), produced by pianist George Winston.[10] Critics appreciated her "strong, expressive voice" but considered the songs and arrangements to be "soulless and forgettable".[11][12]

Personal life and legacy

She died in 2003, from congestive heart failure, survived by her partner, Ruth.[1] Her papers, including journals, scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, costumes, and recordings, are part of the GLBT Historical Society's collections.[13] She was the subject of Nomy Lamm's multimedia show (or "musical mind-meld with video documentation") at the GLBT Historical Society in 2010.[14]

References
  1. "Silvia Kohan". Bay Area Reporter. July 10, 2003. p. 25. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via GLBT Historical Society, Online Searchable Obituary Database.
  2. "Sis Gets Speedy Lesson". Los Angeles Mirror. 1958-05-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Winter Concert a Success" (PDF). The Federalist. January 28, 1965. p. 3. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  4. "Silvia Kohan (1948-2003)". Hidden from History: Accessing the GLBT Past. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  5. Drake, Sylvie (1971-05-31). "'Zorba the Freek' Offered in Venice". The Los Angeles Times. p. 70. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  6. Ferderber, Skip (1972-07-20). "Venice Free Theater Plays it Like it Is". The Los Angeles Times. p. 224. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "New Jewish Agenda Plans Purim Benefit". Jewish News of Northern California. February 25, 1983. p. 22. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. "Silvia Kohan in Concert". Bay Area Reporter. July 11, 1991. p. 40. Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. "Alternative Family Project Benefit". The San Francisco Examiner. 1997-04-27. p. 258. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Franckling, Ken (1984-11-04). "Labeling Shunned by Eclectic Pianist". The Tyler Courier-Times. p. 60. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Rutter, Frank (1984-11-10). "Solo Voice that Stays With You". The Vancouver Sun. p. 37. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Karlovits, Bob (1984-12-20). "These 3 Sing with Soul--to Varying Degrees". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 46. Retrieved 2022-06-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Silvia Kohan papers". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  14. "Chronotopia, 2010". Queer Cultural Center. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
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