FORSYTH (MYERS), JOSEPHINE

FORSYTH (MYERS), JOSEPHINE (c. 1890-24 May 1940), was a Cleveland singer, composer, and musical patron. Born on the city's South Side, she received vocal training from Marcella Sembrich and former Clevelander Rita Elandi. Making her New York debut in the light opera Listen Lester in 1919, she expanded her repertoire to opera and folk songs in costume. For her marriage to pump manufacturer Philip A. Myers of Ashland, O., in 1924, she composed and sang a musical setting of "The Lord's Prayer." It achieved international popularity, from the Easter Sunrise Service in Hollywood Bowl to the 1938 Wales Eisteddfod. Following her husband's death in an automobile accident in 1932, Forsyth resided chiefly in Wade Park Manor and continued to promote the city's cultural life. A member of the FORTNIGHTLY MUSICAL CLUB, she was survived by a daughter and stepson.


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