FRYDAN, Camilla

Camilla Frydan (born Camilla Herzl) was an pioneering Austrian pianist, singer, conductor, and composer who left a lasting mark on the musical revue and operetta scenes of Vienna and Berlin before building a second career in exile in New York. She displayed extraordinary talent at a young age, performing a piano concert at Vienna's prestigious Ehrbarsaal when she was just five years old. By 1907, she began performing as a soubrette soprano singer at the Raimundtheater in Vienna. She later performed at the Neue Wiener Bühne and the iconic Kabarett Fledermaus. After marrying Austrian playwright Oscar Friedmann in 1910 and giving birth to her son, she adopted the pseudonym C. Frydan (or Herzer). She began composing and writing lyrics heavily for operettas, revues, and cabaret stages, often conducting her own works in Vienna and Graz.

Because of her Jewish heritage, she was forced to flee the Nazi regime following the Annexation of Austria in 1938. She escaped through Switzerland and immigrated to the United States in 1939. Settling in New York City, she revitalized her career. Alongside her son, Hans Henry Frydan (who worked as an actor and singer), she founded Empress Music Publishing in 1945. She composed hundreds of melodic pieces in exile, adapting to write in both German and English. Some of her notable larger theatrical compositions include Madame Napoleon and The Big Drum.