Austrian mezzo-soprano Erika Wien passed away in Zürich at the age of 91 following a short illness.

Born in Vienna in 1928, Wien spent a portion of her youth fleeing the Nazis in Poland and later the Soviet Union. After the War, she returned to her hometown to study voice at the Vienna Music Academy.

According to Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Wien began her career at the Wiener Volksoper in 1953. She went on to sing at the Theater Bremen and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where she performed the title role of Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” to great acclaim.

She sang a variety of roles at Opernhaus Zürich over fifteen years, including Marie in Berg’s “Wozzeck” amd Ježibaba in Dvořák’s “Rusalka.” During her career she also graced the stage as Amneris in “Aida,” Azucena in “Il Trovatore,” the title role of “Carmen,” Eboli in “Don Carlos,” Maddalena in “Rigoletto,” Marcellina in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Mary in “Fliegenden Holländer,” and Ulrica in “Un Ballo in Maschera,” to name just a few.