French soprano Rachel Yakar passed away at the age of 87 on June 24, 2023.

Yakar was born March 3, 1936 in Lyon. She studied with Germaine Lubin at the Paris Conservatoire and in 1963 made her debut at the Strasbourg opera.

Yakar was known for performing Mozart roles such as Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni” and First Lady in “Die Zauberflöte.” She also performed in many Baroque operas inducing Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea” and Rameau’s “Aricie,” Lully’s “Climène in Phaëton,” and Leclair’s the role of Circé in “Scylla et Glaucus.” Yakar also appeared in works of the 20th century, such as Honegger’s “Diane in Les aventures du roi Pausole” and Poulenc’s Madame Lidoine in “Dialogues of the Carmelites.”

She sang at the major opera houses of Germany, Holland, France, and Switzerland, as well as Chicago, San Francisco, London (Covent Garden), and Toronto. Throughout the 1970s, Yakar frequently performed at the Bayreuth Festival, Glyndebourne Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, Salzburg Festival, and at the Royal Opera House in London. She was an ensemble member for over 25 years at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

Yarak taught voice at the Paris Conservatoire until 1997.

No arrangements have been announced at this time.