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Judith Raskin was born June 21, 1928, daughter of Harry Raskin and Lillian Mendelsohn Raskin. Both her parents were public school teachers and instilled in their only child a love of music, the subject Judith Raskin majored in when she came to Smith College in 1945. She graduated from Smith in 1949 and received an honorary degree in 1963. While at Smith, Raskin studied with Anna Hamlin, continuing her lessons with Hamlin even after graduation as she began pursuing her career in opera. In 1948, Raskin married a distant cousin, Raymond Raskin. They had two children, Jonathan, born 1951 and Lisa, born 1953. She made her professional debut on both the stage and on television during the 1950s at the same time that she was raising her family. Even after undergoing a radical mastectomy in 1962, Raskin continued her operatic career, specializing in Schubert, Mozart, lieder and Yiddish songs on both the stage and in numerous recordings with major labels. During the 1970s she turned to teaching while still performing. In 1982 Raskin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died December 21, 1984.
For more detailed biographical information, see the entry on Raskin in Current Biography (April 1964) and the entry by Paula Eisenstein Baker in Jewish Women in American: An Historical Encyclopedia (1997). There is also a small folder of materials on Raskin in the Smith College Archives, in 80.Cla 1949 and in 12.HD.
The bulk of the papers date from the early 1960s through the early 1980s and focus on Raskin's professional life, including publicity, reviews and programs. There are also a number of recordings of Raskin's performances from the 1950s to the 1970s. There is a small amount of personal material, including diaries and correspondence, primarily from her high school and college years. There is also some personal correspondence with family and friends. Notable correspondents include Beverly Sills, Eugene Ormandy, and William Maxwell.
This collection is organized into five series:
The collection is open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the papers of Judith Raskin. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission must be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use."
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Judith Raskin Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
The papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Judith Raskin in 1977. Since her death, additions to the collection have been made by her daughter Lisa Raskin as well as by Adrienne Auerswald and Mary Elizabeth Ford.
Procesed by Kathleen Banks Nutter, 2000.
For more detailed biographical information, see the entry on Raskin in Current Biography (April 1964) and the entry by Paula Eisenstein Baker in Jewish Women in American: An Historical Encyclopedia (1997). There is also a small folder of materials on Raskin in the Smith College Archives, in 80.Cla 1949 and in 12.HD.
This series includes diaries, school records, calendars, and tributes to Judith Raskin, both in life and death. Of particular note is a piece written by Raskin's mother, Lillian Mendelsohn Raskin, in 1949, entitled
This series includes correspondence with both family members and friends and associates. A major portion of the family correspondence is from Judith Raskin to her parents during her first three years at Smith. There is also a significant amount of correspondence between Raskin and fellow Smith alumna Mary Elizabeth Ford during the 1960s. In addition to fan mail there is a sizable number of condolences received by the Raskin family after Judith Raskin's death in 1984. The correspondence between Raskin and Anna Hamlin is of particular interest in that operatic technique is freely discussed by both student and teacher.
This series comprises the bulk of the collection and includes programs from Raskin's performances over the years as well as reviews, articles, and press materials both by and about Raskin. Also included in this series are financial records, contracts, and notes regarding repertoire and technique by both Anna Hamlin and Raskin. Of special interest is the collection of correspondence and site reports from Raskin's participation in the National Endowment for the Arts.
This series includes publicity head shots and portraits, an extensive collection of photos of Raskin in performance and rehearsal, and some personal photographs of Raskin and others. Quite notable is the exhaustive collection of photographs detailing the rehearsal and staging of the NBC Opera's
This series consists of 47 reel-to-reel tapes and 9 cassette tapes, containing mostly rehearsal sessions and actual performances. There is also some family material as well as interviews with Raskin. See also records and tapes held by the Werner Josten Library, Smith College.