Abigail Aldridge
Script error: No such module "AfC submission catcheck". Abigail Aldridge is a New York City based performing artist, milliner, and costumer. She was born in Bath, Maine, U.S.A. in 1959. Abigail is the granddaughter of American artist Ernest Haskell. Her childhood was spent on the coast of Maine in the Haskell homestead with her parents, Josephine Haskell Aldridge, a writer and artist, and Richard Aldridge, a poet and teacher. She attended the Boston Conservatory of Music for dance studies and graduated from Morse High School.
CAREER
Ms. Aldridge moved to New York City at age seventeen, partaking in an independent course of studies in theater arts and music. She was one of the last subjects of celebrity photography studio Maurice Seymour. At the time Abigail was studying ballet with Orest Sergievsky at the Carnegie Hall studios. She also trained at Harkness House for dance, Herbert Berghof Studio for acting, Lynn Masters for speaking voice, with John Wallowitch for cabaret, and tenor Gene Bullard for singing voice.
In the early 1980's Abigail appeared in plays off Broadway at Stage 15 in downtown Manhattan including "Night Must Fall" and "The Passion of Frankenstein" directed by Alan Gabor. She sang with the Barry Harris Jazz Ensemble and performed in concerts with them at the Town Hall of NYC and at Symphony Space, as a soloist. She then formed her own group and worked at nightclubs such as the Angry Squire, Freddy's and Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater. She was in an off Broadway production of the musical "South Pacific". Abigail recorded the theme song for the Milkman's Matinée show on WNEW radio. When Bob Jones the host played it he said "Elegantly done!" She was featured in two short films, The Last Laugh by filmmaker Ladd Kessler, and Politenessman, directed by Alex Zamm.
Also during the 1980's, Ms. Aldridge worked at the major costume building companies in New York City: Eaves-Brooks, Barbara Matera, and Parsons-Meares.
In 1989, Abigail decided to start a hat business, Abigail Aldridge Millinery, thus changing over to the fashion industry. Her hats were sold in Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, and Barneys New York. At Barneys her millinery was featured in a widely distributed print advertising campaign worn by supermodel Linda Evangelista, photographed by Steven Meisel. Abigail Aldridge hats have been sold at the Hat Shop in Soho and the Seigo boutique on Madison Avenue for many years up until the present (2022). The decision was made to favor small stores after experiencing a Barneys bankruptcy. Two of Abigail's hats are in the permanent collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, having been accepted by curator Richard Martin.
Ms. Aldridge has lectured about millinery and fashion history for the Nichibei Fujinkai and for the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfield's.
When Abigail moved to Harlem, New York in 2008 she returned to the world of music as a choir singer at St. Francis de Sales, the St. Aloysius Gospel Choir, the Mama Foundation adult choir, and Pastor Terrance Kennedy's Reach Choir. She resumed singing jazz with pianist Kuni Mikami, a collaborator from the Barry Harris years. During 2020-2021 Abigail produced and performed in a series of jazz and entertainment shows at theatrical restaurant Chez Josephine, singing with Danté Harrell and presenting dancers Amber Lyons and Jason Bernard. In 2021 Abigail released an original single recording "My Dream of Love " with Kuni Mikami, composer and pianist, and Rob Schwimmer on theremin, lyrics by Abigail. Ms. Aldridge is forming a multi artist group called Wings Over Harlem.
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