Mezzo Brigitte Fassbaender, born on July 3, 1939, was one singing actress who made a smooth transition to working as an administrator in the opera world. She noted that she actually didn’t fall in love with music initially, but was “obsessed” with the theater and the hopes of becoming an actress. She was the daughter of Sabine Peters, a screen {…}
Few composers in the history of opera were as influential as Christoph Willibald Gluck. Born on July 2, 1714, the composer was one of the major reformers of the artform of his day. He was noted as being critical of opera of his day and how it had strayed from its origins. He sought to bring back the sense of {…}
Baritone Thomas Hampson is one of the most intellectually-inspiring artists in the opera world. Born on June 28, 1955, the baritone is one of the most thoughtful and insightful people in the business. Just listen to an interview (see below). The Indiana native sang as a child and studied at the Eastern Washington State College, majoring in political science and {…}
Anna Moffo, born on June 27, 1932, enjoyed one of the most varied opera careers in history. The American-born soprano studied in Italy on a Fulbright Scholarship and would immediately become a TV sensation in her 20s when she appeared on RAI as Cio-Cio San in “Madama Butterfly.” That was followed by more TV productions in “Falstaff” and “La Sonnambula.” {…}
Wolfgang Windgassen, born on June 26, 1914, is one of the greatest heldentenors of all time. He was actually born in France to two singers. His father Fritz Windgassen was a well-known heldentenor and his mother, Vali von der Osten, was a coloratura soprano. His aunt, Eva von der Osten, was the singer who created the role of Octavian in {…}
Born on June 26, 1916, baritone Giuseppe Taddei’s path to a successful career was rather unconventional. He studied in Rome and made his professional debut in “Lohengrin.” In 1942, he was conscripted into the army but returned to singing after World War II, appearing for two seasons in Vienna. He went to sing in London in 1947, followed by the {…}
Of Wagner’s great operas, “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” often gets overlooked when the conversation of “greatest works” begins. The work premiered in Munich on June 21, 1868, and is admittedly one of the composer’s more intimate operas. It was not based on any major myth the way some of his other works were and its tame and comic nature make {…}
Jacques Offenbach, born on June 20, 1819, had a pretty unique career. Some might consider him a renaissance man since he was a composer, cellist, and impresario. He was also a first-class jokester, whose pranks got him into a lot of trouble, but also defined his dramatic style. He was born in Cologne and learned music from a young age. {…}
Iréne Theorin, born on June 18, 1963, is one of Sweden’s most renowned artists, known for her interpretations of the dramatic repertoire. She studied at the Academy of Music and Drama of the University of Gothenburg, which led to a contract with The Göteborg Opera. Then she studied in Copenhagen, where she made her professional debut. From there, her career {…}
Eva Marton, born on June 18, 1943, is arguably the most famous Hungarian soprano of the last few decades. She studied at the Franz Liszt Academy and made her professional debut at Hungary’s Margaret Island Summer Festival. Then at the Hungarian State Opera, she appeared for the first time in “The Golden Cockerel” in 1968. From there she made her {…}
Igor Stravinsky is one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, born on June 17, 1882. Stravinsky grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia and was taken with music from an early age. He studied piano and music theory as a child, though he received a great deal of discouragement from the likes of famed composer Alexander Glazunov. He was {…}
