Margaret Daum

Margaret Daum (March 25, 1906 – February 23, 1977) was an American classical soprano born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She pursued formal vocal training at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, earning a bachelor's degree in 1928.

Daum's Broadway career spanned 1934 to 1935 and centered on a series of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. During that period she took on multiple principal roles, including Casilda in The Gondoliers, Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard, the Plaintiff in Trial by Jury, and Yum-Yum in The Mikado, as well as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore. She also appeared in The Hot Mikado among other productions during those years.

Beyond Broadway, Daum created the title role in the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball, performed on April 1, 1937, at the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Two years later, on April 22, 1939, she originated the role of Laetitia in Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief, which received its world premiere as a radio broadcast on NBC.

On May 5, 1937, Daum made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, appearing as Musetta in La bohème. That performance featured Rosa Tentoni as Mimì, Armand Tokatyan as Rodolfo, Carlo Morelli as Marcello, and was conducted by Gennaro Papi. She also made appearances with the Chicago Opera Company during her career.

Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, Daum maintained an active presence on American radio, performing on programs including The American Album of Familiar Music and The Bell Telephone Hour.