Walter Carringer (1924-2006) Papers

The Walter Carringer Papers document Carringer's busy and successful singing career, and consist for the most part of newspaper clippings, publicity and repertoire information, though biographical information and correspondence are also included.

Biographical information includes Carringer's Honorable Discharge certificate, a Freemason pin, Boy Scout badges and biographical forms from Northwestern University.

Carringer's correspondence is mostly career-related--including letters of reference, letters from professional organizations, and inter-office correspondence from Northwestern University--with the exception of a few personal greeting cards. The form letters were sent to friends and colleagues on behalf of projects that Carringer founded and/or supported such as the Light Opera Works Company. Correspondence is arranged chronologically within the folders.

The most extensive part of this collection, the publicity folders, includes N.U. press releases (arranged chronologically) and newspaper clippings announcing concert appearances and reviewing appearances by Carringer. Many of these are undated. The majority of the newspaper clippings were photocopied. Also included here are the press kits put together by Carringer's agent. The public and professional response to Carringer's solo career is well documented in this collection.

The programs and repertoire lists in the collection show what repertoire was performed by Carringer throughout the majority of his career. The programs are from a wide range of concert appearances, including Carringer's appearance at Pablo Casals' music festival in Puerto Rico. Various other professional activities are lightly documented in the folders containing information about contests; the Bel Canto Foundation, an organization that Carringer helped found to support young singers; an article by Carringer published in the Music Journal; a "Singer's Primer: he compiled; and the contract from a 1957 appearance with the North Carolina Symphony. These materials are arranged chronologically.

A drop-front box contains three scrapbooks from the early years of Carringer's career and an oversized concert poster. One of the scrapbooks was disassembled because of its deteriorated condition, and the materials (programs, clippings, and photographs) were arranged in a folder.