Soprano (Voice)

(b Oceanside, NY, 21 June 1972). American soprano.

After graduating from the Eastman School of Music she studied at the Juilliard Opera Center. She then joined the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where she sang the role of Amy in the world premiere of Adamo’s Little Women in 1998. She has subsequently sung a wide range of lyric soprano roles, including Mozart’s Susanna and Pamina, Norina (Don Pasquale), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and the Governess (The Turn of the Screw), in companies throughout the United States. With Austin Lyric Opera, Aylmer has performed Gilda in Rigoletto and Stella in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. She sang Cynthia Read in the world premiere of Rands’s Belladonna at Aspen in 1999, and in 2005 created the role of Bella in Picker’s An American Tragedy in her Metropolitan Opera debut. She returned to the Metropolitan, as Papagena, the following season. In ...

(b Mostar, 1953). Bosnian-Herzegovinian soprano. Bakšić graduated from the Secondary Music School in Mostar. In 1976 she graduated from the Department for Music Theory and in 1979 from the Department for Solo-Singing at the Academy of Music in Sarajevo. She studied solo-singing in the class of the famous opera singer and professor Milica Buljubašić-Zečević. As a student she began to sing at the Music Scene of Sarajevo, first at the student concerts and then on the opera stage. In 1979 she made her début as Rosette in Manon. In 1981, at the very beginning of her career, she performed her first leading role as Floramye in the operette Little Floramye by Ivo Tijardović.

After graduating from the Department for Solo-Singing Bakšić passed the audition at the National Theatre Opera in Sarajevo and has since become a permanent soloist in the opera and operetta repertoire. Some of her leading roles include Rosette in ...

(b Grand Tower, IL, 26 Oct 1955). American soprano.

After graduation from McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, she worked for several years as a schoolteacher while taking private singing lessons. She subsequently studied for a short period in Germany with Birgit Nilsson, whom she cites as a major influence on her vocal development. Having joined the chorus of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 1980, she progressed, via small roles, to the part of Ellen Orford, her major operatic debut (1989). Other leading roles followed at St. Louis, including Donna Anna, Ariadne, Haydn's Armida, and Gloriana. Brewer made her New York City Opera debut, as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, in 1993, and her Covent Garden debut, in the same role, in 1994. Her sumptuous, soaring tone and gleaming top notes drew critical superlatives when she sang Ariadne at her ENO debut in ...

(b Baltimore, MD, Aug 9, 1912; d Oslo, Norway, March 13, 2009). American soprano. Born to a music-loving mother and prominent physician father whose grandparents were slaves, Brown premiered the role of Bess in the original production of Porgy and Bess (1935). She studied music, first at Morgan State College and then the Juilliard School, where she was the first African American to win the Margaret McGill scholarship. Brown learned of Gershwin’s new opera, then titled Porgy, while at Juilliard, and immediately requested an audition. She sang for Gershwin a few days later and left their meeting as Bess. Gershwin frequently invited Brown to his apartment to sing parts of the opera as he composed. As a result, Bess grew from a secondary character into one of the opera’s leading roles.

After the original Broadway run and tour of Porgy and Bess ended in 1936, Brown continued with her career in the DuBose Heyward musicals ...

(Melzia Ann)

(b St. Louis, MO, Jan 4, 1937; d Vienna, May 7, 2023). American mezzo-soprano and soprano. Bumbry started singing in church and youth choirs. She won a scholarship to a local music school through a talent contest organized by the St. Louis radio station KMOX. However, the school was segregated and refused to admit the African American Bumbry. KMOX executives then arranged for an appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts (CBS). Bumbry’s break came in the form of scholarships to Boston University, Northwestern University in Chicago, and then the Music Academy of the West with Lotte Lehmann, and in Paris with Bernac. Bumbry made her début in 1960 at the Paris Opéra as Amneris in Aida. She then joined Basle Opera in 1960, performing for four seasons. Bumbry explored Europe’s superior artistic opportunities—she was the first black artist to appear as Venus in Tannhäuser at Bayreuth in 1961...

(b Fort de France, Martinique, March 24, 1932; d New York, Sept 16, 2020). Martinique soprano. She studied in Paris, making her début in 1958 at Nice as Leïla (Les pêcheurs de perles). She sang Pamina at Aix-en-Provence (1959), Lakmé at the Opéra-Comique (1961), and made her début at the Paris Opéra (1962) as Fatima (Rameau’s Les Indes galantes). In 1964 she took part in the first public performance of Rameau’s Les boréades at La Maison de la Radio, Paris. In Chicago (1966–76) she sang Leïla, Stravinsky’s Nightingale, and Antonia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), and at Wexford Lakmé (1970) and Imogene in Il pirata (1976). Having sung Countess Almaviva with the Paris Opéra at the Metropolitan (1976), she made her début with the Metropolitan company as Konstanze (1980), and in Brussels (...

(Louise)

(b Detroit, MI, March 27, 1950; d Detroit, Jan 9, 2022). American mezzo-soprano and later soprano. Of Dutch, Sioux, Scottish, and African American ancestry, she studied at the Cleveland Institute (1968–70) with Eleanor Steber, and later with Jennie Tourel and O.G. Marzolla. While still a student, Ewing came to the attention of James Levine, which led to a dramatic debut under his direction at the Ravinia Festival in 1973. After appearances at Miami, Boston, Cologne, Chicago, and Santa Fe, Ewing performed Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Salzburg in 1976, followed by her Metropolitan debut in the same role. Ewing developed strong determined characters in her repertoire, including Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Mélisande in Debussy’s Pellias et Milisande, Blanche in Poulenc’s Dialogues des carmélites, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and, perhaps most famously, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. She also interpreted several complex 20th-century operatic roles, including Marie in Berg’s ...

(b Residence, LA, Nov 2, 1946; d New York, Oct 9, 2020). American soprano. She studied at Tulane University and in New York, and made her début in 1974 as Micaëla with the New York City Opera. She sang in Mayr’s Medea in Corinto at Berne in 1975, then joined the Bayerische Staatsoper; she also sang in Berlin, Brussels, Houston, Boston, Toronto, Venice, Florence, Strasbourg, Lyons, Toulouse, Aix-en-Provence, and at the Paris Opéra. Her repertory includes Countess Almaviva, Electra (Idomeneo), Donna Anna, Agathe, Desdemona, Leonora (Il trovatore and La forza del destino), Amelia (Il duca d’Alba), Norma, Julia (La vestale), Salome (Hérodiade), Anne Boleyn, Elsa, and Ariadne. She first sang at Covent Garden in 1987 as the Empress (Die Frau ohne Schatten), the role of her Metropolitan début in 1989, and returned to Covent Garden as Chrysothemis in ...

(b Sarajevo, Bosnia, June 30, 1947). Bosnian soprano, opera soloist, and music pedagogue. She graduated in 1973 from the Music Academy Sarajevo (class of Bruna Špiler), where she also took the master’s degree in the field of solo singing in 1977. During her artistic career she achieved notable success singing the main soprano roles in the operas Il trovatore (G. Verdi), Ero s onog svijeta (J. Gotovac), The Bartered Bride (B. Smetana), The Marriage of Figaro (W.A. Mozart), and Madam Butterfly and La Boheme (G. Puccini). Her artistic activity was interrupted due to the wartime events in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. Her actions were diverted to performances within small artistic ensembles, which corresponded to the conditions of the social and cultural life of that time. She distinguished herself in appearances at the concerts of the Sarajevo Winter Festival, Summer Chamber Music (1993), and Days of Culture of the Czech Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina (...

(b Bratislava, Dec 23, 1946; d Zürich, Oct 18, 2021). Slovak soprano. She studied at the Bratislava Conservatory, as well as in Prague and Vienna. Her début was in 1968 in Bratislava as Rosina (Il barbiere), and two years later she was engaged for the Queen of Night at the Vienna Staatsoper. There she became a regular member of the company in 1972 and within a few years had established herself as one of the world’s leading coloratura sopranos. As the Queen of Night she made débuts at Glyndebourne in 1974 and at the Metropolitan in 1977, the year in which she first appeared at the Salzburg Festival, as Thibault (Don Carlos) under Karajan. Her other major successes included appearances as Zerbinetta, Gilda, Violetta, Lucia, Konstanze, Manon, Oscar, and Donna Anna (at La Scala in 1987). Gruberová featured prominently in the revival of Rossini and other bel canto operas, and made her Covent Garden début as Giulietta in Bellini’s ...

(Ann )

(b Canby, MN, Jan 4, 1947). American soprano. After studying at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota (BM 1969), and with marion Freschel at the Juilliard School, she won first prizes in the Concert Artists Guild competition in 1970 and the Rockefeller and Minna Kaufmann Ruud competitions in 1972. She has appeared as a soloist with most of the major American orchestras, including the Baltimore SO, with which she toured East Germany, and the New York PO, with which she gave the premiere (under Pierre Boulez) of George Crumb’s Star-child (1977), a work commissioned for her by the Ford Foundation as a result of her winning its performance competition in 1971. She has also sung in Europe, with such orchestras as the Stuttgart RO and the Bavarian RO. In 1980 she won the Naumburg International Voice Competition, and the following year she made her opera debut as Mimì with Opera St. Paul (Minnesota), in addition to giving her first recitals at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center; since then she has been increasingly active as a recitalist. Gubrud’s wide expressive range and sure technique allow her to meet the demands of music from all periods. She has recorded widely on a variety of labels and has been a regular participant in the Aspen, Blossom, and Meadowbrook festivals. Gubrud’s role as a teacher has been a key facet of her career. She taught at Washington University, St. Louis (...

(b Berlin, Aug 10, 1931; d Vienna, April 21, 2022). German soprano. She studied with Maria Ivogün in Vienna, where she made her début in 1957 in operetta. Engaged at the Volksoper and later the Staatsoper, she appeared there for over 20 years. At Salzburg (1961–3) she sang Blonde and Papagena. Her repertory included Zerlina, Despina, Marzelline, Norina, Mařenka, Sophie, Isotta (...

(b Rrëshen, Abania, July 18, 1974). Albanian soprano. In 1992 she completed her vocal studies with V. Kosta at the Jordan Misja Liceu Artistik in Tirana. In 1993 she earned a scholarship and moved to Italy to study at the Accademia Mantovana of Katia Ricciarelli, and later studied at the S. Cecilia Conservatorio in Rome with Valerio Papperi. From 1997 to 2000 her activity concentrated in Italy, and she won a number of competitions including the Giacomo Pucinni Milan (1997) and Spontini International Competition in Ancona (1998), among others. She has performed on such important stages as those at Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala Milano, the Metropolitan Opera, the Berliner Staatsoper, the Vienna State Opera, the Opéra Bastille, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, NHK Opera in Japan, the Arena di Verona, and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Her rich repertory includes roles in ...

(b Cleveland, OH, Aug 13, 1907; d New York, NY, March 13, 2002). American soprano, music publisher, and concert manager. She studied singing with Ruth Thayer Burnham while attending Abbot Academy, Andover, and later at Wellesley College (BA 1929). After two years as an actress at the Cleveland Playhouse, she sang in Gabriel Pierné’s La croisade des enfants with the Cleveland Orchestra (1932). She was then coached by Eva Gauthier in New York and made her debut there in 1934 at Town Hall in the North American premiere of Handel’s solo cantata La Lucrezia. Three years later she sang Butterfly and Tosca with the Royal Flemish Opera in Antwerp. After meeting Sibelius in Finland, she returned to the United States and introduced a number of his songs in concert (1938). During World War II Johnson escorted a convoy of refugees from Paris to Spain and as a result of the ordeal lost her voice. She joined the staff of ...

(b Bosanski Brod, Bosnia, Dec 30, 1937; d Zagreb, Croatia, Sept 18, 2007). Bosnian soprano and prima donna. She completed her secondary music education and university studies in singing in Sarajevo. She graduated from the Academy of Music in Sarajevo in 1963 (studying under Bruna Špiler and Zlata Đunđevac-Gavella). One of the key figures in her personal musical development was operetta diva Erika Druzović, who spotted her talent for refined musicality and striking vocal ability. In 1959 she debuted with the Sarajevo Opera in the role of Duchess in The Marriage of Figaro. She performed with this opera company from 1962 to 1975, eventually attaining prima donna status.

Her international career was launched by a competition in Tokyo (1968), where she was awarded the prize for the best performance of the role of Cho-Cho-San in Madam Butterfly. After this she performed on several stages around the world, including the Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and La Scala, and her striking performance of the title role in ...

(b Tirana, Albania, June 27, 1963). Albanian soprano . She graduated in 1986 from the Higher Institute of Arts in Tirana, where she studied with her mother, who was a professor there. In 1987 she won the Singer of Albania competition, and then the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest, the Grand Prix ‘Madam Butterfly’ in Barcelona, and the Placido Domingo International Voice Competition in Paris. During 1993, with Domingo, she toured Europe and the USA, which opened the doors to cooperation with important theatres and conductors. From the early days of her career, she excelled in several Verdi-repertory roles: Oscar in Un Ballo in mascara (Opera of Monte Carlo); Nanetta in Falstaff (La Scala, the Ravenna Festival, etc.); Gilda in Rigoletto (Verona Arena, Music Center of Los Angeles, etc.); Violetta in La traviata (Deutsche Oper Berlin, New National Theatre in Tokyo, Covent Garden in London, etc.). Other roles in her repertory include: ...

[Alex Penda ]

(b Sofia, Bulgaria, Sept 24, 1970). Bulgarian opera soprano . She has worked under the pseudonym Alex Penda since May 2012. She was born into a well-known family of musicians; her grandfather is Sasha Popov, one of the most prestigious figures in 20th century Bulgaria, a violinist, conductor, and the founder of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; her mother, the soprano Valerie Popova, sang regularly at La Scala (1983–6) and was Pendachanska’s first vocal teacher. Pendachanska graduated from the National School of Music, Sofia, with a degree in piano and singing. She made her debut at 17 as Violetta in La traviata. She won the Antonin Dvorak International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary at age 19 (1989), the International Vocal Competition in Bilbao (second prize, 1988), and the UNISA singing competition in Pretoria (1990). Since her international début as Lucia di Lammermoor in Bilbao (...

(b New York, NY, 4 May 1930). American soprano.

She studied with William Hermann and was engaged by the Metropolitan at 19, without previous stage experience. She made her debut in 1950 as Zerlina, a last-minute replacement for Nadine Conner; her official debut was to have been as the Queen of Night, two months later. She appeared with the company for 35 years, giving hundreds of performances, closing with Gilda in Rigoletta in 1985. Her early roles included Despina (Così fan tutte), Rosina, Giuseppe Donizetti's Norina (Don Pasquale) and Lucia di Lammermoor, and Giuseppe Verdi's Oscar (Un ballo in maschera); in 1964 she sang the role of Kitty in the American premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's Le dernier sauvage. Later she attempted to broaden her repertory in lyric soprano roles, playing Violetta, Mimì, and Jules Massenet's Manon outside New York and performing in musical comedy. She performed at Covent Garden (...

(b New York, Aug 16, 1952; d Chicago, June 20, 2021). American soprano. She studied at the Curtis Institute. In 1975, three days before her scheduled début at the New York City Opera as Zerbinetta, she replaced an ailing soprano as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann. Appearing at first as a comic coloratura, she increasingly took on more dramatic roles such as Gilda, Lucia (1986, San Francisco), the Queen of Night, and Handel’s Cleopatra (with the ENO in Geneva, 1983) and moved into many of the roles once sung at the City Opera by Beverly Sills. She made her Metropolitan début in 1979 as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, returning as Olympia and Zerbinetta; in the latter role she made her European début at Glyndebourne (1981), where she later sang Susanna, Zdenka, and Konstanze. Her roles also included Philine (Mignon). She sang Bianca in the North American première of ...

(b Madison, WI, June 3, 1960). American soprano. She has done her most important work at the extremes of the opera timeline, winning acclaim for interpretations of both early and contemporary repertory. In 1988 she played the roles of Poppea, Fortune, and Minerva in Stephen Wadsworth’s Monteverdi cycle at Skylight Comic Opera. She went on to appear in works by Monteverdi, Cavalli, and Handel in venues around the world, including Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera (Cooperstown, NY), Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona, Spain), and the International Handel Festival (Göttingen, Germany). Saffer has collaborated frequently with the composer and conductor Oliver Knussen, beginning with performances of Hans Werner Henze’s Elegy for Young Lovers in 1988 at Tanglewood. She has been celebrated for her interpretation of Marie in Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten, a role she has performed at Opéra Bastille, New York City Opera, and the English National Opera. As the title character in Alban Berg’s ...