Editor’s Note: OperaWire has been informed that the death of Nicoară is currently being investigated as a potential homicide. Per a latter investigation, the case looks to be not a simple accident of “falling on the stairs” but of domestic violence. Here is a link provided to OperaWire by the lead investigator in the case who is set to present further evidence at the Global Scientific Guild on March 26, 2022.  The article continues as originally published on December 28, 2020.  

Romanian mezzo-soprano Maria Macsim Nicoară has died at the age of 52.

Nicoară, a member of the Operei Naţionale Române Iaşi, suffered multiple brain, thoracic, and spine injuries after falling on the stairs in her house in May 2020. Until December she was hospitalized in several hospitals and underwent a series of surgeries.

On December 8, Nicoară was discharged from the hospital at the request of the family.

The mezzo-soprano performed the most demanding roles in the mezzo-soprano repertoire, including the role of Maddalena in Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Flora Bervoix in “La Traviata,”  Alisa in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and Cherubino in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” among others.

“With deep regret, we announce the passing of our beloved mezzo-soprano Maria Macsim Nicoară, soloist of the Iaşi Opera from 1999 to the present. In these moments of hardship, we are with the artist’s family and send condolences. May she rest in peace,” says the statement on the official Facebook page of the Operei Naţionale Române Iaşi.

OperaWire sends its condolences to the family and friends of Maria Macsim Nicoară.