Miriam Burton

NY Times Obituary: Feb 2, 1991

Miriam Burton Holman, a soprano and actress who appeared on Broadway and in opera, died last Sunday at High Ridge House, a Christian Science nursing facility in the Bronx. She was 64 years old and lived in Manhattan.

She died of respiratory failure, her daughter, Diedre Greenway of Manhattan, said.

Miss Burton appeared in many Broadway and Off Broadway productions, including “House of Flowers,” “Waltz of the Toreadors” and “The Sunshine Boys.” Her film credits included “Cotton Comes to Harlem” and “The Landlord,” and she had featured roles in the television series “Search for Tomorrow” and “True Blue.”

Miss Burton, born in New York City, studied voice at the Henry Street Settlement. In 1954 she received the Marian Anderson Award, and a year later won an Opportunity Fellowship from the John Hay Whitney Foundation to study in Europe. Her New York debut was at Town Hall in 1958.

She was a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Symphony of the Air and the Dessoff Choirs, and appeared in several operas, including Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and the premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s “Passion of Jonathan Wade” with the New York City Opera in 1962.