Conrad Thibault

Conrad Thibault in 1948

Conrad Thibault (November 13, 1903 – August 1, 1987) was an American baritone vocalist who frequently appeared on radio, recordings, and concert tours.

Biography

Thibault was born and raised in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he was involved with the church choir. Local resident Calvin Coolidge took notice of him and encouraged him to apply for a scholarship at the Curtis Institute of Music, from where he later graduated. He also studied at the Juilliard School and was a student of Emilio de Gogorza, who became his mentor. His professional career began in the late 1920s with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company.

By the early 1930s, he was a regular performer on radio, appearing on such shows as His Master's Voice of the Air, Showboat, The RCA Victor Show, Music in the Air, and as featured soloist with the Ferde Grofé Orchestra. He made several 78rpm recordings for the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Decca Records released several 78rpm sides by Conrad Thibault in the 1940s. In 1949 he became emcee for the ABC Television show The Jacques Fray Music Room, holding that position from August through October. In the 1950s he sang for the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Thibault's repertoire was varied, including baroque arias, spirituals, Wagnerian opera, art songs, Broadway tunes, and patriotic songs. He was known to be personable in concerts, and was expressive with his hands. In his later years, Thibault taught voice in New York at the Manhattan School of Music and in Florida at Palm Beach Atlantic College. Thibault married the former Elinor Kendall in 1935. The couple divorced in 1939. In 1942, he married the former Mary Clare West, a marriage which also ended in divorce in 1950. His third wife, Dee Thibault died in 1986. The following year, Conrad Thibault died in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York at the age of 83.

Partial discography

Decca Records
Montgomery Ward Records
(RCA) Victor Records

Sources

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