Florence Shapiro

Florence Shapiro, age 91, of New York, New York passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2022. Florence was born May 29, 1930. Verdian Soprano, widow of Murray Shapiro, consulting engineer. At 72nd St and Broadway in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, there is a small historic park that was once frequented by Caruso and Toscanni called Verdi Square. In front of the statue of Giuseppe Verdi, there is a bench with a plaque reading “Florence Morrison, Verdian Soprano, was honored to perform many of the leading roles of the great heroines in Verdi’s operas”. She not only performed Verdi roles with great success, but leading Puccini roles as well. She performed for many years at Lincoln Center’s Damroach Shell in fully staged performances of Mimi in La Boheme, and Madam Butterfly as well as several Verdi roles, including Aida, and Lenora in Il Trovatore. For over thirty years Miss Morrison has had a full page in “Musical America”, the international directory of the performing arts. They state “Brava” ovations for Florence Morrison at Lincoln center for Aida, Madam Butterfly, and Lenora. Also stated is “triumphant performance of Tosca in Rome, Italy where she received standing ovations. She was also a professional artist specializing in oil paintings of landscapes and still lifes. She exhibited her work in many juried shows in the New York area. She sold one hundred and twenty oil paintings. She painted a twenty-seven feet mural for the Midwood branch of the Brooklyn Public Library when she was 18 years old. As an opera singer she got much recognition for her album “Florence Morrison sings Puccini Arias” that was sold and prominently displayed at Tower Records for seven years in their Broadway store. She had a powerful beautiful voice with a recognizable color that effortlessly cuts through a large orchestra and chorus without any amplification and fills up a large opera house. Her impeccable musicianship and fine acting abilities delighted her audiences. In Italy they called out for an encore after she sand the Aria “Vissi D’arte” in Tosca. For over 25 years she was a host of a weekly talk show promoting the arts, where she interviewed people of achievement. For four years she had a weekly radio show with interviews with people of the arts. Many of NY museums came on both her TV and radio shows, including The Metropolitan Museum. She had 23 museums on her shows. Her radio show was on WNWK FM, now the classical music station. For many years she has been a member of the Pen and Brush Club and the Dutch Treat Club. She is survived by her son Fred Shapiro and his wife Jane, her son Alan Shapiro and two grandsons Andrew and James Shapiro.