A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Orridge, Ellen

by Alexis Chitty

ORRIDGE, Ellen Amelia, born in London, 1856, was taught singing by Manuel Garcia at the Royal Academy, and gained the Llewellyn Thomas bronze and gold medals for declamatory singing in 1876 and 1877, the certificate of merit, the Parepa-Rosa medal, and the Christine Nilsson 2nd prize in 1878. While still a student she sang in a provincial tour with Sims Reeves in 1877. She made a successful début at the Ballad Concerts, Nov. 21 of the same year, and was engaged for the whole season. Miss Orridge afterwards worthily maintained the reputation acquired at the outset of her career, and gave promise that in the future she would become one of our best contralto concert singers. She sang at Mr. Ganz's concert in a selection from Berlioz's 'Romeo and Juliet,' May 28; at the Richter in Stanford's 46th Psalm, May 30; in the 'Nuits d'Été' and Choral Symphony, Oct. 24, 1881; at the Philharmonic in the last work, Feb. 9; at the Symphony Concerts in Schumann's 'Faust,' June 8, 1882; at the Crystal Palace, at the Popular Concerts, etc. She died Sept. 16, 1883, of typhoid fever, at Guernsey, where she had gone for a short holiday; the news of her death was received with universal regret, on account of her amiability and kindliness of disposition.

[ A. C. ]