Hollace Shaw

Hollace Shaw (July 24, 1913 – March 2, 1976) was a coloratura soprano whose career spanned Broadway, old-time radio, and concert performance. Born in Fresno, California, she was the eldest of five children raised in a family with deep musical roots. Her mother was a concert singer, and her father, Rev. Shirley R. Shaw, served as a minister. Among her siblings was Robert Shaw, who went on to found the Robert Shaw Chorale and lead symphony orchestras in Atlanta, Georgia, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Shaw's Broadway appearances came in quick succession during the 1939–1940 season. She appeared in Higher and Higher in 1939 and in the musical Very Warm for May the same year. Her role in Very Warm for May included the introduction of the song All the Things You Are.

Alongside her stage work, Shaw maintained an active presence on radio. She served as a featured soloist on Blue Velvet Music and Saturday Night Serenade, and held the role of featured female soloist on Song Time. She was also a cast member of The Hour of Charm, where she performed under the name Vivian, and hosted her own weekly program on CBS.

Shaw's concert activities extended well beyond the radio studio. She sang with symphony orchestras across the United States and performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, in addition to appearing in night clubs. A review by Eugene Burr published in Billboard on October 12, 1940, described her as possessing an outstanding voice and noted her among the few real voices developed in recent years.

In her personal life, Shaw married Clarence Turner Foster, a major in the Air Transport Command, on April 12, 1944, in New York, New York. She later married Dr. Frederick C. Schlumberger, a surgeon. Shaw died on March 2, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 62, survived by her husband, two stepchildren, a sister, and two brothers.