Dorothy Kirsten
Dorothy Kirsten (July 6, 1910, Montclair, New Jersey – November 18, 1992, Los Angeles, California) was an American operatic soprano who was the first singer in the Metropolitan Opera's history to perform on that stage for 30 consecutive years, and the first opera star to appear on the cover of Life magazine. In addition, Kirsten French was the founder of the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation, named in honor of her husband, John "Jack" Douglas French, MD, who died from Alzheimer's disease in 1989. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Montclair (city in California, United States), Died November 18, 1992 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1942 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-075411 | 10-in. | 7/7/1942 | My hero | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075413 | 10-in. | 7/7/1942 | Will you remember (Sweetheart) | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075414 | 10-in. | 7/7/1942 | Ah! Sweet mystery of life | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075415 | 10-in. | 7/9/1942 | Thine alone | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075416 | 10-in. | 7/9/1942 | One alone | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075417 | 10-in. | 7/9/1942 | Sweethearts | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | BS-075418 | 10-in. | 7/9/1942 | Wanting you | Dorothy Kirsten ; Felix Knight ; Victor First Nighter Orchestra | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D4RB-0449 | 10-in. | 11/28/1944 | April in Paris | Dorothy Kirsten ; Maximilian Pilzer ; Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D4RB-0450 | 10-in. | 11/28/1944 | The love I long for | Dorothy Kirsten ; Maximilian Pilzer ; Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D4RB-0451 | 10-in. | 11/28/1944 | Ev'rytime we say goodbye | Dorothy Kirsten ; Maximilian Pilzer ; Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D4RB-0452 | 10-in. | 11/28/1944 | Only another boy and girl | Dorothy Kirsten ; Maximilian Pilzer ; Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D5RC-0910 | 12-in. | 4/9/1945 | Sing me not a ballad | Dorothy Kirsten ; Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D5RC-0911 | 12-in. | 4/9/1945 | You're far too near me | Dorothy Kirsten ; Thomas L. Thomas ; Victor Orchestra | Vocal duet (Soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D5RC-0912 | 12-in. | 4/9/1945 | (There'll be) Life, love and laughter | Dorothy Kirsten ; Thomas L. Thomas ; Victor Orchestra | Vocal duet (Soprano and baritone), with vocal chorus and orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D7RC-7121 | 12-in. | 1/14/1947 | Mi chiamano Mimì | Dorothy Kirsten ; Jean-Paul Morel ; RCA Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D7RC-7122 | 12-in. | 1/14/1947 | Addio di Mimì | Dorothy Kirsten ; Jean-Paul Morel ; RCA Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D7RC-7123 | 12-in. | 1/14/1947 | In quelle trine morbide (In those soft silken curtains) | Dorothy Kirsten ; Jean-Paul Morel ; RCA Victor Orchestra | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D7RC-7124 | 12-in. | 1/14/1947 | Mort de Thaïs (Te souvient—il du lumineux voyage) | Dorothy Kirsten ; Robert Merrill ; Jean-Paul Morel ; RCA Victor Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D9RB-0705 | 10-in. | 8/15/1949 | Why do I love you? | Dorothy Kirsten ; Robert Merrill ; John Scott Trotter | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D9RB-0706 | 10-in. | 8/15/1949 | Make believe | John Scott Trotter Orchestra ; Dorothy Kirsten ; Robert Merrill | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D9RB-0707 | 10-in. | 8/15/1949 | You are love | Dorothy Kirsten ; Robert Merrill ; John Scott Trotter | Vocal duet (soprano and baritone), with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D9RB-0708 | 10-in. | 8/16/1949 | Bill | John Scott Trotter Orchestra ; Dorothy Kirsten | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | D9RB-0709 | 10-in. | 8/16/1949 | Can't help lovin' dat man | Dorothy Kirsten ; John Scott Trotter | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Decca | 76124 | 4/11/1950 | Milady-1 | Bing Crosby | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kirsten, Dorothy," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103279.
Kirsten, Dorothy. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103279.
"Kirsten, Dorothy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Dorothy Kirsten
Discogs: Dorothy Kirsten
Grove: Dorothy Kirsten
IMDb: Dorothy Kirsten
Britannica: Dorothy Kirsten
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Kirsten, Dorothy, 1910-1992 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81097858
Wikidata: Dorothy Kirsten - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2007083
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56695905
MusicBrainz: Dorothy Kirsten - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/276aa1df-ab1b-4335-b77e-98f2e409d347
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/78308 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/78308
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