American mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn has died at the age of 98.

Dunn was born on June 17, 1928 in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Tyronza, Arkansas.

Dunn went on to study with Karin Branzell and Beverley Peck Johnson and made her professional debut, in the title role of Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” on Sept. 8, 1955, at the New Orleans Opera. That would lead her to the Lyric Opera Chicago and the New York City Opera followed by the Metropolitan Opera where she debut in 1958 and performed over 650 times in such works as “Boris Godunov,” “Elektra,” “Luisa Miller,” “Il trovatore,” “Salome,” “Jenufa,” “Lohengrin,” “Arabella,” “Die Walküre,” “La Gioconda,” and “Parsifal,” among others. Her final performance with the company was in 1994 as Klytämnestra in “Elektra.”

Among her signature roles were Amneris in “Aida,” Azucena in “Il trovatore,” Eboli in “Don Carlo,” both Laura and La Cieca in “La Gioconda,” the Princess in “Adriana Lecouvreur,” and Santuzza in “Cavalleria rusticana.” She also sang a lot of French roles including Dalila in “Samson et Dalila,” Giulietta in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” and Dulcinée in “Don Quichotte.” She performed the role of Carmen over 400 times in four different languages.

The mezzo also sang around the world at the Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Company of Boston, New Orleans Opera Miami Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opéra, Bolshoi Theatre, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Arena di Verona, among many others.

Dunn was also a well-respected vocal teacher who taught at the University Texas at Austin, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and Brooklyn College. She was also on the voice faculty at Manhattan School of Music from 1985 until her retirement in December 2023.

For her work in opera she received an Honorary Degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, the President’s Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service from Manhattan School of Music, the Sherrill Milnes Voice Award in 2014 for her “outstanding contribution in teaching and mentoring the next generation of opera singers and the VERA Award from The Voice Foundation.

The mezzo left a number of recordings including “Rigoletto” with Beverly Sills and another recording from the Metropolitan Opera. There is also a recording of “La Gioconda” and “La Forza del Destino,” among many others.