# Elsa Stralia

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Australian soprano

Elsa Stralia Born Elsie Mary Fischer (1881-03-01)1 March 1881 Norwood, South Australia Died 31 August 1945(1945-08-31) (aged 64) Belgrave, Victoria, Australia Occupation Dramatic Soprano Spouse(s) William Mountford Moses (1908-19??; marriage dissolved) Adolph Theodor Christensen (1935-1943; his death)

**Elsa Stralia**, born **Elsie Mary Fischer** (1 March 1881 – 31 August 1945) was an Australian dramatic soprano with an international reputation in Europe and America.

## Family

The daughter of Johannes Hugo Fischer (1850-1901),[1] and Annie Christiana Fischer (1858-1898), née Claussen,[2] Elsie Mary Fischer was born in [Norwood, South Australia](/source/Norwood%2C_South_Australia) on 1 March 1881.[3] The family moved to Melbourne in 1899, where she was convent-educated.

She married William Mountford Moses (1875-1940) in Sydney on 24 December 1908.[4][5][6] She divorced Moses in 1935.[7]

She married Adolph Theodor Christensen (1878-1942) of [Pātea](/source/P%C4%81tea), [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand) in Sydney on 14 November 1935.[8][9][10] They lived in Pātea until Christensen's death in 1942.

## Stage name

Like other noted Australian sopranos, such as [June Mary Gough (1929-2005)](/source/June_Bronhill) ("June Bronhill", after Broken Hill), Vera Honor Hempseed (1890-1952)[11][12] ("Madame Vera Tasma", after Tasmania), [Helen Porter Mitchell (1861-1931)](/source/Nellie_Melba) ("Nellie Melba", after Melbourne), Dorothy Mabel Thomas (1896-1978) ("Dorothy Canberra"), Florence Ellen Towl (1870-1952) ("Madame Ballara", after Ballarat), and [Florence Mary Wilson (1892-1968)](/source/Florence_Austral) ("Florence Austral"), Elsie Mary Fischer adopted the stage name "Elsa Stralia" in honour of Australia.[13]

## Career

After appearing in [Sydney](/source/Sydney), she studied in [Milan](/source/Milan) and [London](/source/London). She made her [Covent Garden, London](/source/Royal_Opera_House) debut as Donna Elvira in [Mozart](/source/Mozart)'s *[Don Giovanni](/source/Don_Giovanni)* in 1913, under the professional name of Elsa Stralia. She appeared at Covent Garden, and in Milan, [Paris](/source/Paris), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) and [New York City](/source/New_York_City). She toured in South Africa, and in a number of American cities, once singing "[The Star-Spangled Banner](/source/The_Star-Spangled_Banner)" while dressed as the [Statue of Liberty](/source/Statue_of_Liberty). She recorded for the [Columbia Graphophone Company](/source/Columbia_Graphophone_Company), and toured Australasia in 1925 and 1934.

## Death

On the death of her husband, she returned to Australia. She died, childless, at [Belgrave, Victoria](/source/Belgrave%2C_Victoria).[14][15]

## The Elsa Stralia Scholarship

Her estate was used to establish a scholarship for young Australian female singers.[16][17]

## Footnotes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Suicide by Strangulation, *The Colac Herald*, (Tuesday, 26 March 1901), p.4.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90560241)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Deaths: Fischer, *The Age*, (Saturday, 5 March 1898), p.5.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191486129)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Births: Fischer, *The South Australian Advertiser*, (Friday, 4 March 1881), p.3.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73196907)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Marriages: Moses—Fischer, *The Sydney Morning Herald*, (Saturday, 20 February 1909), p.12.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15037516)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [William Moses, *The Windsor and Richmond Gazette*, (Thursday, 12 January 1922), p.10.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85872189)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [William Montford Moses, *The Windsor and Richmond Gazette*, (Friday, 8 November 1940), p3.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86066361)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Deserted: Elsa Stralia Obtains Divorce: Futile Letters, *The (Sydney) Sun*, (Monday, 15 April 1935), p.1.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230278949)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Brought Cake from New Zealand: Singer's Wedding, *The Sydney Morning Herald*, (Friday, 5 November 1935), p.4.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17223968)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Deaths: Christensen, *The Auckland Star*, (Saturday, 31 October 1942), p.1.](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19421031.2.2.4)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [Obituary: Mr. A.T. Christensen, *The Auckland Star*, (Monday, 2 November 1942), p.4.](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19421102.2.48)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** She married John Louis Cosgrove (1865-1943) in 1917: [Marriages: Cosgrove—Hempseed, *The (Hobart) Daily Post*, (Saturday, 26 May 1917), p.1.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191183366)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Deaths: Cosgrove, *The Sydney Morning Herald*, (Monday, 15 September 1952), p.12.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18281806)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [Warden, Ian, "Has anyone a recording of soprano Dorothy Canberra?", *The Canberra Times*, (Wednesday, 10 November 1982), p.21.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130828282)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [Deaths: Christensen, *The Herald*, (Saturday, 1 September 1945), p.4.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245671965)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Songbird's Colorful Career Ends, *The (Sydney) Truth*, (Sunday, 2 September 1945), p.23.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169359326)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [Public Notices: Elsa Stralia Scholarship, *The Sydney Morning Herald*, (Saturday, 12 July 1952), p.12.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18272926)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** [Scholarship to Young Soprano, *The (Sydney) Sun*, (Friday, 4 September 1953), p.10.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230753826)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Elsa Stralia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Elsa_Stralia).

## References

- [*The Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, 1891-1931*](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/stralia-elsa-8694), edited by John Ritchie (1990, Melbourne University Press)

- [Madame Stralia, *The Windsor and Richmond Gazette*, (Friday, 19 June 1914), p.10.](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85859086)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States People Trove Australia Australian Women's Register DDB

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