Sergei Larin, born on March 9, 1956, was one of the major opera singers during the Soviet Union era to find success outside of his country. He was born in Latvia and underwent vocal training in Lithuania, his opera debut coming in 1981 at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre. From there he became a mainstay at Soviet theaters for {…}
Denyce Graves, born on March 7, 1964, is one of the iconic American mezzos of the late 1900s. She was born in Washington D.C. and graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the arts in 1981. Then she studied voice at the Oberlin Conservatory, followed by the New England Conservatory. She would then work further at the Wolf Trap Opera {…}
Verdi and Piave’s “La Traviata” is easily a “top five opera” on the planet when it comes to performances. It premiered on March 6, 1853 and was based on a play adapted from “La Dame aux Camélias’ by Alexandre Dumas fils. Given that the subject matter was so contemporary, the work turned out to be a major flop at its {…}
Kiri Te Kanawa is arguably the most renowned artist to come out of New Zealand in the opera world. Born on March 6, 1944, the soprano was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron but was adopted as an infant by Thomas Te Kanawa and his wife Nell. In her teens and early 20s, she worked as a pop star and entertainer {…}
“Carmen” is one of the greatest and most popular operas ever conceived. That combination is a rare one that only a handful of composers have truly managed. But it didn’t seem destined for such a destiny. When it premiered on March 3, 1875, the work was a complete failure. Unfortunately, Bizet died a month later thinking that his great masterpiece {…}
Mezzo-soprano Florence Quivar was born on March 3, 1944 and would become “one of the most prominent singers of her generation.” Music became a part of her life early on as her mother was a piano and voice teacher who formed the gospel group “Harmonic Choraliers.” The young mezzo would learn piano and voice and sang solos in church by {…}
Simon Estes, born on March 2, 1938, is a legendary bass-baritone. Born in Iowa, his father was a coal miner and his grandfather was a former slave. His early musical experiences were at the local Baptist church that his family attended. He entered the University of Iowa and was destined to study psychology and religion but ultimately switched to voice. {…}
Lucina Amara, born on March 1, 1925, is one of the sopranos to perform most often at the Metropolitan Opera. The Connecticut native was raised in San Francisco, where she sang with the San Francisco Opera Chorus. In 1946 she made her concert debut after studies at the Music Academy of the West and she appeared at the Hollywood Bowl {…}
Galina Gorchakova was one of the Russian sopranos to dominate during the 1990s. Born in Novokuznetsk on March 1, 1961, to opera singers, her family moved to Novosibirsk, Siberia where she did all of her major training. She would become a leading soprano in Sverdlovsk and then went on to audition for Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1991, {…}
Gioachino Rossini, born on Feb. 29, 1729, is one of the great masters of Italian Opera. He was born in Pesaro and began to compose at the age of 12. He premiered his first opera “La Cambiale Di Matrimonio” in Venice in 1812 when he was just 18. Five years later, he was being engaged to write operas all over {…}
Geraldine Farrar was the Met Opera’s leading lady at the start of the 20th century. Born on Feb. 28, 1882, she was born in Massachusetts and began studying music at age five. By 14, she was already giving recitals and eventually, she went off to New York and then Berlin to study voice. She had a successful debut at the {…}