Marie Rogndahl Peake

Marie Rogndahl Peake, was born on September 5, 1923 near Wolf Point, Montana to Norwegian immigrant parents, Inga (Berg) and John Rogndahl. The family moved to Portland, Oregon when she was 1 year old. Marie was the youngest of 5 children and, although both her father and one brother died when she was a young girl, the remaining family stayed incredibly close throughout their lives. She went to Franklin High School where she began to sing and her voice was first noted and encouraged. She then attended University of Oregon where she studied under Sigurd Nilssen, an internationally known opera baritone. It was he who entered her in the nationwide General Electric “Undiscovered Voice of America” contest in 1944. With almost 10,000 young women competing, Marie won first place! NBC Radio then brought her to New York, and she became the soloist for their nationwide “Hour of Charm” program. This lasted 13 weeks throughout the summer of 1944, after which Marie returned to U of O to complete her final year and received her music degree.

When she returned to New York in 1945, she pursued advanced vocal training in opera and language studies. She became a staff artist at NBC, where she sang on several programs such as The Celanese Hour, Let’s go to the Opera, Lucky Stars, and Serenade to America, all with the NBC Symphony. She sang with such opera legendaries as Jan Peerce, Robert Weede, and Lawrence Tibbett. She toured throughout the United States and Canada, singing with the Cleveland Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Indiana Symphony. In 1949 she was a finalist in the New York Metropolitan Opera and was awarded a contract to appear on television. On one of her tours she sang at the White House and met President Truman and his wife.

During this period, while on a visit home to Oregon, she met Don Peake, and they commenced a long distance relationship. They were married in 1946, and Marie continued singing in New York (with frequent trips home) until 1951, when she moved back to Portland for good. They had 4 children and Marie was a devoted mother. She sewed clothes for her girls, was a Camp Fire leader, a fabulous cook, and she provided each of the 4 children with both piano and a second instrument lessons. And all the while she continued singing. Marie’s voice was a true coloratura, spanning both lyric and dramatic repertoire. She sang in English, Italian, French, Spanish, German and Norwegian. She regularly appeared as leading soprano with the Portland Symphony, Portland Junior Symphony, and with the Portland Opera and the Oregon Opera. Marie also sang with various chamber music trios and quartets, and participated with some of them in the Young Audiences programs, in which they went to Portland schools, giving introductory talks on various aspects of music followed by a short performance. She gave many recitals between Seattle and Los Angeles, and was a soloist for many years at First Presbyterian and Rose City Presbyterian churches in Portland. Marie taught voice at PSU, University of Portland, Lewis & Clark College and Reed College as well as privately in her own home. She became a sought after adjudicator for voice scholarships and contests throughout the Northwest.

Marie and Don were married for 62+ years during which they traveled a lot and came to have friends all over the country. Starting with their honeymoon, they loved going to the beach, especially Neskowin, Oregon, and this became a treasured family tradition. They had the same large comfortable home in NE Portland for 51 years where they had family holiday gatherings, church group meetings, musical recitals, Blue Bird groups, and where Marie sang throughout her daily routines and frequently practiced with her lifelong friend and accompanist Sylvia Killman. Don and Marie moved to Holladay Park Plaza in January 2002, where they lived among many friends and acquaintances until Don died in 2009 and Marie on November 5, 2014. Her passing was peaceful, surrounded by her loving family.

Marie is survived by her children Tracy (David) Little of Edmonds, WA, Sally Peake, Charles Peake and Nancy Peake of Portland; her nieces Ruth Huglin, Sylvia Norton, Ann Chenhall and Karla Gray, her nephew Bill Haberlach, her 6 grandchildren Inga Giske, Dawn Abed, Dana Parker, Akasha Barickman, Kelsey and Haley Hopkins, and her 6 great-grandchildren Ella and Asher, Tommy and Eddie, Saya and Sahara.

A memorial reception will be held at Holladay Park Plaza in NE Portland on Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 1:00 pm.