A STUDENT at Southampton University is trying to trace a Jewish musical hall star who was born in Manchester.

PhD student Micheline Stevens' research concerns the case studies of a number of young Jews who received help from the Jewish Education Society in the early 20th century.

One of these people was Amy Rolda. According to the archives on the Jewish Education Society, Amy was born around 1886 and came from Manchester. She was studying for the operatic stage.

However, her father died and she could not afford to continue with her studies, which is when she came to the notice of the Jewish Education Society.

With their help, together with a Rev A Woolf, of Manchester, funds were raised to enable her to study in Berlin.

Between 1903 and 1905 she trained in Berlin under the tuition of Matilde Mallinger.

She returned to London in 1905 where she gave her debut performance at the Bechstein Hall on November 27, 1905.

Micheline said "I can find no trace of her or any other person named Rolda in the UK. No birth, marriage or death record. Were it not for the fact that I have copies of her Bechstein Hall concert programmes, I would doubt she ever existed."

Email Micheline at mas@soton.ac.uk