SYBIL MICHELOW, contralto, born 12 August 1925 in Johannesburg
The South-African contralto, Sybil Michelow, studied at the University of Witwatersrand. Later she studied piano with Franz Reizenstein in London for three years.
Sybil Michelow made her debut as a singer in London in 1958. She gave concerts with leading orchestras and conductors in UK and abroad. She participated in many performances of Handel's Messiah, and appeared frequently in radio and TV performances, notably in Rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms.
Sybil Michelow was a singing instructor at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1956 to 1958. Large scale works written for her by Wilfred Josephs and Malcolm Williamson.
Sybil Michelow is a younger sister of contralto Grace Phillips. She married Dr Derek Goldfoot in 1950.
Compositions:
- Incidental Music for the RADA production of Brecht plays Chalk Circle and Mother Courage
- Children's Stories with Music (South African Broadcasting Corporation)
Recordings:
- Music of Court Homes, Vol 4 (EMI)
- Bach Cantata BWV 78 and Cantata BWV 106 (EMI)
- Bliss Pastoral (Pye)
- Dallapiccola Sicut Umbra (Argo).
Memberships:
- Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain - Governor 1986 and 1989
- Incorporated Society of Musicians
Hobbies:
- Piano in Chamber Music groups
- Calligraphy
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The following is extracted from Volume III of the 1986 edition of South African Music Encyclopedia (J.P. Malan, ISBN 0 19 570363 4)
SYBIL MICHELOW (Mrs Goldfoot), contralto, born 1925 in Johannesburg
Sybil Michelow passed her first Trinity College pianoforte examination at the age of four. Since then she has won prizes at Eisteddfodau and broadcast for the SABC. During 1944-45 she studied music at the University of the Witwatersrand, obtained a diploma and commenced private pratice as a pianoforte teacher. She also became interested in singing and composed incidental music for a children's Christmas play Pop Goes the Queen, which was produced in Johannesburg (1944). Later she studied privately in London under Franz Reizenstein (pianoforte, 1950-53) and Mary Jared (singing, 1954-61), acted as choral instructor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for two years and composed incidental music for performances of two plays by Bertold Brecht.
She has devoted herself to singing since 1958 and after her debut in Bach's St John's Passion she performed as a radio and concert soloist in England, Holland, Belgium and Israel. A highlight of her career was her first appearance at a Henry Wood Promenade concert in the Royal Albert Hall in 1961. During the next ten years she sang at the Proms on nine occasions and in 1972 for a televised programme during the 50th anniversary of the BBC. In 1963 she visited South Africa to sing in the PACT production of Amahl and the Night Visitors (Menotti). Subsequent visits took place in 1969 and 1971, on which occasions she was engaged for concert tours by PACT and CAPAB.
