Sharon Sweet was born on August 16, 1951, in New York City. 

Her father was a tenor who had stopped his career after serving in World War II. She would start her musical studies as a pianist though eventually, she would wind up teaching music in a public school. 

She would win the Metropolitan Opera auditions and then started studying at the Curtis Institute of Music Interestingly, as she built up her vocal career, she worked as a teacher of singing and music theory at the University of New York. She also conducted the University Choir during that time. 

She made a move to West Germany in 1985 to kickstart her career, a decision that did just that. By 1987 she was singing with the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Paris Grand Opera, among others.

After building a solid career in Europe, she made her US debut in San Francisco in 1989, followed by a Met debut in 1993 and her Covent Garden debut in 1994. 

However, in 1999 she accepted a full-time teaching position at Westminster Choir College, citing her frustration with the opera world’s prejudice toward slimmer singers. She noted that she had struggled with a thyroid condition known as Hashimoto’s syndrome. 

Major Roles 

Sweet’s career saw her sing a vast array of repertoire, but Wagner and Verdi are the two composers most associated with her. Her big breakthroughs in Europe in the 1980s came from her interpretations of “Aida” and “Tannhäuser.” Her San Francisco debut and Arena di Verona debut would also come as Aida.”

Watch and Listen

Here is Sweet in Verdi’s Requiem.

And here is a scene from “Aida.”