Born in Twillingate, in Newfoundland, she became a world-renowned prima donna soprano who played in opera houses throughout Europe and United States.
She was educated at Twillingate and Toronto and went on to study singing in Paris, Italy and Germany.
[2] At the age of fifteen she played as a church organist in her hometown and early in her career had been instrumental in the formation of the Dorcas Society.
While in Paris, Stirling had studied under the tutorship of Madame Mathilde Marchesi where she was discovered by a Milan opera company.
Stirling had returned to her hometown of Twillingate to live with her sister Rose where she eventually died on April 21, 1935, Easter Sunday.