On September 3, 2020, Czech soprano Miloslava Fidlerová passed away at the age of 98.

She is remembered for her four-decade career with the National Theatre in Prague.

Born on April 28, 1922, Fidlerová was drawn to music at an early age, playing piano and singing in the local children’s choir. At the age of 15, she joined the Prague Conservatory, where she studied piano before moving to the singing department, where she studied under Ema Matoušková and Achilles Granforte.

In 1941, Fidlerová was hired by conductor Václav Talichofthe National Theatre, and in September of that year sang the role of Tebaldo in Verdi’s “Don Carlo.” After officially becoming a soloist in 1943, she remained with the company until her retirement in 1948.

Fidlerová was described as captivating audiences through her impeccable diction and charm on-stage. A proponent of Czech works, one of her most frequently-performed operas was Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride.” First performing the role of Esmeralda, she would go on to play Marenka in over a hundred performances, later performing as Ludmila by the time of her retirement.