Clara Serena
[9] A "complimentary concert" was held for her on 12 December 1908 at the Adelaide Town Hall, which was filled to overflowing, and she left for England on 4 February 1909,[10] with Elizabeth Waite as her chaperone and constant companion for the next eight years.
Those most involved in her tuition were singing teachers John Henry Blower[11] and Albert Visetti, and the director, Sir Hubert Parry.
[12] She graduated ARCM and gained further experience on the Continent under professors Schulz-Doenburg and Bloch, preparing for her debut in grand opera as Clara Serena.
[c] On 2 October 1914, with the Great War affecting everyone's lives, she and Elizabeth left London by the RMS Mongolia, were met at Fremantle by Peter Waite and arrived in Adelaide on 6 November 1914.
[18] A benefit for the Red Cross Society followed at the Adelaide Town Hall on 23 October, when Mellish conducted a 60-piece orchestra, and guest soloists were Silver and Parsons.
[3] Roy Mellish's last duty before leaving was to adjudicate at the musical section of the Easter Eisteddfod held at Maryborough, Queensland, as he had done the previous year.
On 27 February 1923 she appeared in concert at Wigmore Hall alongside her friend and mentor Ada Crossley, who came out of retirement for the event, and sang three duets with Serena.
The London newspapers gave positive reviews, also praising Mellish, who played entirely from memory,[24] including his own arrangement of "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes".
She undertook further training in Milan with the baritone Mario Sammarco and on return to London sang 'Delilah' in Samson and Delilah with the National Grand Opera Company.
[27] She sang at the Anzac Day service, at St Clement Danes church,[e] where Arthur Mason was organist, but Mellish presided for Serena's solo "Abide with Me".
[28] In 1927 Roland Foster, of the New South Wales Conservatorium, made a survey of conditions in England for aspiring Australian musicians, and reported that, thanks to the rise of radio broadcasting and the jazz craze, the British appetite for opera and concerts had diminished, and those who found work were not receiving the same fees.
[29] Serena and Mellish were seemingly immune: she sang in Götterdämmerung, Parsifal and Das Rheingold in May 1927 and prepared as understudy to Maria Olszewska for the part of Amneris in Verdi's Aida.
The family moved to Adelaide in 1907[40] His siblings were: All were proficient musicians and formed the "Mellish Melody Makers", which toured South Australia October–December 1908 to great acclaim;[41] John was the "star", a boy soprano with the St Peter's Cathedral choir, receiving many awards.
[48] The State Library of South Australia holds several items relating to the life and career of Clara Serena, including a three-page letter from Mellish to Clifford C. Jungfer: p.1 p.2 p.3 and audio recordings.
This is a sample, and not exhaustive: The Clara Serena Memorial Scholarship for vocalist students is awarded annually by the Lobethal Harmony Club.
