THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

Theresa Rassam as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance

Theresa Rassam (1902-07)

[Born Twickenham, Middlesex 1871, Brighton 10 Jul 1938]

The daughter of prominent Assyrian archeologist and explorer Hormuzd Rassam, Theresa Rassam joined D'Oyly Carte Repertoire Opera Company "C" as principal contralto in 1902, appearing from July onward as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, the Lady Jane in Patience, Queen of the Fairies in Iolanthe, Lady Blanche in Princess Ida, Katisha in The Mikado, Dame Carruthers in The Yeomen of the Guard, and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers:the contralto lead in each opera in the Company's repertoire.

In January 1904 the Company was renamed the D'Oyly Carte Principal Repertory Opera Company, and H.M.S. Pinafore was added to the repertoire, with Theresa Rassam, of course, as Little Buttercup. She retained her eight roles until December 1907 when she left the D'Oyly Carte organization, presumably to get a night off.

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