Rosalind Elias is one of America’s great mezzo-sopranos.

She was born in Massachusetts as the 13^th and youngest child in her family. She studied at the New England Conservatory and first appeared with the New England Opera between 1948-52.

On Feb. 23, 1954, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut, a life-changing date for Elias. She would go on to sing close to 700 performances at the famed house in over 50 roles. She appeared in a few Met Opera premieres and made a number of recordings throughout her career.

In addition to her lengthy Met career, Elias also appeared at the Vienna State Opera, Scottish Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival.

In later years, she started to appear in the musical “Follies” and made her Broadway debut in 2011.

Signature Roles

Elias interpreted a plethora of different operas throughout her career, though some of her more famed interpretations included that of Bersi in “Andrea Chénier,” Cherubino in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” and “Carmen.” She performed the title role of the Bizet masterpiece 16 times at the Met, one of her major leading roles with the company; she also performed it abroad to critical acclaim. She also performed and recorded Cherubino under Erich Leinsdorf. She was also a famed Cieca in “La Gioconda,” her interpretation recorded with Zinka Milanov and Giuseppe di Stefano.

Read More on Elias

Four Met Opera Premieres That She Appeared In

Watch and Listen

Here she is in a recording of “Il Trovatore.”

Here is an interview with Elias.