Hizi Koyke Explained

Hizi Koyke
Birth Name:Koike Hisako
Birth Date:1902
Birth Place:Tokyo
Death Date:September 1991
Death Place:New York
Occupation:Singer, opera director
Relatives:Fortune Gallo (father-in-law)

Hizi Koyke (1902 – September 1991), born Koike Hisako, was a Japanese singer based in the United States.

Early life

Koike Hisako was born in Tokyo, the daughter of a glass manufacturer. Her mother died in childbirth.[1] Her parents were converts to Christianity and she attended a Methodist missionary school.[2] She convinced her father to let her leave the country, and an American doctor and his wife took her on as a foster child.[3] The couple took her to Canada, then moved to New York in 1923[4] so she could attend Columbia University to train as a teacher.[5] While in New York, she took voice lessons with Edythe Magee, and attended the Metropolitan Opera to learn more about Western opera.[6]

Career

Koyke was nearly always cast in Asian roles, especially as Yum-Yum in The Mikado,[7] and with the San Carlo Opera Company[8] as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, a role she studied under Tamaki Miura.[9] [10] She made her New York debut in 1927, in David Belasco's Madame Butterfly,[11] and continued playing in productions of that show for several years, across the United States and Canada.[12] [13] For added authenticity, she designed her own costumes.[14] She also appeared in Mascagni's Iris (1930), The Geisha (1931),[15] [16] and Leoni's L'Oracolo (1937). She gave recitals[17] [18] and sang on radio through the 1930s. "Koyke is Butterfly," commented critic Samuel T. Wilson in 1932, "not merely because of her nationality but because she is a fine singer, a most talented actress, and, in the best sense of the word, an artist."[19]

Koyke's career was interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II, when a Japanese singer and shows with Japanese themes were not welcomed by American audiences. She didn't perform during the war. She was monitored by the FBI but did not spend time in a Japanese internment camp.[20] She resumed her singing after the war, returning to her signature role[21] in Madame Butterfly in 1946.[22] She sang in Butterfly until at least 1950,[23] and retired from the stage in 1955, but continued working in opera as a director with the Chicago Lyric Opera. She was the stage director for Maria Callas' 1955 performance of Butterfly. She was featured in a 1964 educational program about opera on a Texas public television station, aimed at schoolchildren who would be attending an opera in Dallas.[24]

Personal life

Koyke married fellow singer Harald Hansen in 1932; they divorced in 1940 after he was discovered cheating on her.[25] She married again to Edward Mario Gallo, son of opera producer Fortune Gallo.[26] She died in New York in 1991.

Notes and References

  1. News: . Many American customs absurd, Says Japanese Prima Donna, Who praises Our Freedom And Self-Expression . Cincinnati Enquirer . 7 September 1930 . 87 .
  2. News: 1938-11-11. Missionary Discovered Hizi Koyke's Voice. 24. The Boston Globe. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  3. Book: Parsons, Charles . A celebration of Cincinnati opera . 2007 . 40.
  4. News: 1935-09-10. Star Notes Revival of Grand Opera. 6. Star-Phoenix. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Swan. Gilbert. 1931-05-15. It's Cherry Blossom Time on Broadway. 9. Messenger-Inquirer. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  6. Web site: Robinson. Greg. September 12, 2019. The Great Unknown and the Unknown Great: Hizi Koyke: Dramatic soprano. 2020-10-02. Nichi Bei.
  7. News: 1931-05-05. 'The Mikado'; Hizi Koyke a Hit in Revival at Erlanger's. 21. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  8. News: 1928-11-18. Noguchi Memorial Programs Singer of Far-Away East. 69. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  9. Yoshihara . Mari . The Flight of the Japanese Butterfly: Orientalism, Nationalism, and Performances of Japanese Womanhood . American Quarterly . 2004 . 56 . 4 . 975–1001 . 10.1353/aq.2004.0067 . 40068292 . 145288396 .
  10. Book: Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane. Puccini: A Biography. 2002-10-03. UPNE. 978-1-55553-530-8. 129. en.
  11. News: JAPANESE SOPRANO HAILED IN DEBUT; Hizi Koyke Sings Finely Madame Butterfly in the San Carlo Company's Production. . The New York Times . 10 November 1927 .
  12. News: Goldenburg. William Smith. 1929-07-23. High Artistry is Reaffirmed by Gifted Japanese Singer in 'Madame Butterfly' Role. 2. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  13. News: 5,000 HEAR 'BUTTERFLY.'; Hizi Koyke and Others Receive Ovation at Hippodrome. . The New York Times . 9 December 1934 .
  14. News: 1931-06-21. Singer Makes Own Costumes. 21. Arizona Daily Star. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  15. News: Allen. Kelcey. October 9, 1931. Jas. T. Powers Again Sparkles In Revival Of 'The Geisha' By Aborn: The Cast. 13, 23. Women's Wear Daily .
  16. News: 'The Geisha' Tinkles Again. . The New York Times . 6 October 1931 .
  17. News: JAPANESE SOPRANO SINGS.; Hizi Koyke Displays a Rich; Vibrant Voice in Recital at Barbizon. . The New York Times . 7 November 1929 .
  18. News: 1940-09-02. Hizi Koyke in Recital; Soprano Heard at the Chase Barn Theatre, Whitefield, N.H.. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-02. 0362-4331.
  19. News: Leighton. George A.. Wilson. Samuel T.. 1932-07-27. Perennial Meets Favor. 5. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  20. Book: Department of Justice. Claims Division. (1/1/1934 - 1953) . Japanese Internee Card for Hisako Koike or Mrs. Edward M.Gallo . 1941–1947 . Series: World War II Japanese Internee Cards, 1790 - 2002.
  21. Book: Lee, Josephine D.. The Japan of Pure Invention: Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. U of Minnesota Press. 978-1-4529-1526-5. 188. en.
  22. News: 1946-08-04. Hizi Koyke. 63. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  23. News: Cassidy. Claudia. 1950-03-18. Hizi Koyke Indisposed and Unable to Rescue an Ailing 'Butterfly'. 14. Chicago Tribune. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  24. November 21, 1964. KRLD-TV Opera Series. Billboard. 16.
  25. News: 1940-07-02. Hizi Koyke, Jap Opera Singer, Wins Divorce. 3. Daily News. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.
  26. News: 1947-04-20. 'Butterfly' Hovers Close to Real Life. 49. The Des Moines Register. 2020-10-02. Newspapers.com.

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