A Niagara Falls native, Lillian Garabedian was the winner of the Voices of Tomorrow singing contest in 1955. Her focus was in dramatic opera and studied at Fredonia State College. After her studies at Fredonia she was awarded a teaching fellowship and pursued her masters at Indiana University and in 1959 she went on to study in Germany under a Fulbright grant. Her professional career includes solo performances with the Bavarian State Opera, singing with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, appearances in the famous Munich festivals, and the Marlboro festival in 1963. Garabedian tragically died in a plane crash as she was in route to a concert in South Carolina in 1965. Her death was mourned by many local residents as well as people she touched with her signing wherever she preformed.

Click Lillian's photo to hear her sing.

Photo credit to the Niagara Falls Public Library Local History Department