THE D'OYLY CARTE OPERA COMPANY

Ada Rose as Katisha in The Mikado

Ada Rose (1885-90)

[Born Whitechapel, London 5 Oct 1863, died Bromley 16 Apr 1905]

Contralto Ada Rose sang at the City Temple and then studied at the Royal Academy of Music before joining the Mr. D'Oyly Carte's "D" Company on tour. She occasionally filled in as Katisha in The Mikado (October 1885, and January and March 1886), before joining the main Company at the Savoy where she also substituted as Katisha for Rosina Brandram in August 1886.

By January 1887 she was back on tour, this time as the regular Katisha with Carte's "A" Company, before rejoining Company "D" in the same part for parts of February and March. In April 1887 she joined a new company, Mr. D'Oyly Carte's "B" Company, as Dame Hannah in Ruddigore. When The Mikado was added to the tour in December 1887 she appeared as Katisha as well.

In June 1888 Miss Rose transferred to Mr. D'Oyly Carte's "E" Company, appearing as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Katisha until November when the Company took up The Yeomen of the Guard exclusively. Miss Rose was Dame Carruthers. The Mikado joined Yeomen in the "E" Company repertoire in April 1889, and she resumed playing Katisha when it did. She remained the "E" Company principal contralto through February 1890, except for a period between October and December 1889 when Kate Talby took over as Katisha and Dame Carruthers.

From March until May 1890 Ada Rose toured with D'Oyly Carte Opera Company "B" as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers. She was replaced by Kate Forster in May 1890 and, after a brief stop in Liverpool filling in as the Duchess for the indisposed Rosina Brandram with Carte's "C" Company (June 2-7, 1890), it appears she left the D'Oyly Carte organization for good.

After leaving the D'Oyly Carte she joined the Salvation Army. She worked with her husband at one of the Wesleyan Missions for a time, and continued her musical career as a Church singer and also as a composer of numerous hymn tunes.

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