Background
Ellen Faull was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a working-class family.
music educator singer opera singer
Ellen Faull was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a working-class family.
She showed an early talent for singing and while still a teenager, her teacher introduced her to the conductor Eugene Ormandy who let her use his private box for all of the Philadelphia Orchestra"s concerts.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was primarily associated with New York City Opera, where she sang from 1947 until 1978 and created the role of Abigail Borden in Jack Beeson"s opera Lizzie Borden in its 1965 world premiere. After her retirement from the opera stage, she taught singing at Sarah Lawrence College, the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School and later privately at her home in Camas, Washington. She went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and later in New York City.
As an opera singer, she sang throughout the United States and occasionally in Europe, but she was primarily associated with New York City Opera.
She made her debut there in 1947 as Donna Anna in the company"s first production of Don Giovanni and continued to sing leading roles with the company until 1978. Her final performance there was as Abigail in Jack Beeson"s Lizzie Borden, a role she had created in the opera"s world premiere in 1965.
Following her retirement from the stage, she taught singing for many years at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School. She continued to teach singers at her home in Camas, Washington right up until her death in 2008 at the age of 90.
Amongst her many students were Dawn Upshaw, Gianna Rolandi, Youngok Shin, Audra McDonald, Ashley Putnam, Beverly Hoch, Sarah Brightman, Gwen Verdon and Veronica Villarroel.