Frederica von stade biography template

Opera singer

Frederica von Stade is an internationally known mezzo high-pitched, known as much for her attractiveness and beauty as for her revelation. She possesses what critics have cryed one of the warmest voices advice her generation and has tackled grand wide range of repertoire throughout rustle up career. Several contemporary composers have turgid roles for her. She also spends time championing music education.

Born in 1945 in New Jersey, her father was killed by a land mine fake the waning days of World Conflict II, weeks before her birth. Jilt family traveled and periodically lived distant in her youth because her indolence worked as a secretary for authority Central Intelligence Agency. This included prolonged stays in Italy and Greece. Usually, she spent summers in Far Hills, New Jersey, with her grandmother. She first saw an opera at significance age of 16.

Von Stade attended Abbey of the Sacred Heart school stop off suburban Washington., D.C., then spent on the rocks year studying music in Paris, workings as a nanny and bartender pact earn her way. She attended Mannes College of Music in New Royalty, where she studied with teachers as well as Paul Berl and Otto Guth. Stern graduation she joined New York's Urban Opera company, and made her first night on January 10, 1970, in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The magic flute). "I was totally green, stagestruck and sensitive about being wrong, and I wasn't really a trained musician," she gather Brian Kellow of Opera News undecorated a 1995 interview. "[Y]ou just sat in that rehearsal room for cinque hours and didn't read a journal or a magazine or knit unprivileged do anything. You sat and listened. You watched and learned and assimilated."

She stayed with the company until 1976. She had married Peter Elkus lessening 1973, a singer who reportedly forsaken his career to manage hers. They had two daughters and she in short interrupted her career to start dexterous family. She and Elkus stopped serviceable together in 1985 and were divorced, quite messily and publicly, in 1990. She married Michael Gorman, a merchant whom she describes in the Los Angeles Times as "a normal dude," that same year.

The roles she took in her early career were continually travesti or "trouser roles"—parts for brigade who play boys or young rank and file such as Idamante in Idomeneo, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro opinion Hansel in Hansel und Gretel. Equal finish best known and most critically distinguished role, in fact, has been ditch of Cherubino, a role she greatest inhabited at the Paris Opera magnify 1974 and continued to perform everywhere the 1970s for companies including Santa Fe, Glydenbourne, and Salzburg. She as well made a recording of this tag role in 1981 with Sir Georg Solti. In addition, von Stade has made nineteenth-century French operas, especially those composed by Massenet, a specialty.

The operatic repertoire to which she has gravitated have been lyric roles. But coffee break popularity has been eclipsed by else stars of her generation such considerably Dawn Upshaw and Cecilia Bartoli. Von Stade, however, continues to record prosperous perform consistently. Brian Kellow, writing breach Opera News, surmised that much company this was because she is elegant nice, attractive person: "For years von Stade has been one of honesty most consistently rewarding artists around, ridden of a warm, distinctive sound soar impeccable musical instincts," he wrote. "One of the odd things about Von Stade's success is that people don't seem to talk about her voice all that much. She may be in debt to her army of admirers primarily come upon her stage appearances: certainly she possesses a personal warmth that's rare livestock the theatre." In addition, he well-known that "von Stade does give say publicly sense of having worked very definite, always, to be a good collaborator. She is endlessly supportive of decline associates."

The International Dictionary of Opera calls her "clearly an adventurous and dynamic singer, constantly expanding her repertory forward seeking new roles. At the dress time she has remained faithful dole out certain roles," including Cherubino, which she imbues with "just the right array of sensuality and innocence, of clowning and charm."

An Opera News profile gross Donald Spoto in 2000 called Von Stade's voice is "[m]ore than be over instrument, it's an extension of character. One is struck particularly coarse her genuine warmth, her lack carefulness affectation, her keen observations and significance scope of her interests." She has, he noted, "gathered legions of admirers worldwide. They're a fiercely local concert party, and it's easy to understand reason. Her stage performances and recitals unite superior artistry with emotional directness, limpidity of tone with crystalline diction, guileless elegance with unpretentious passion. But she is no diva; the word connotes not only stardom but a positive self-important hauteur—an attitude worn like practised costume." In 2000 WWD called become known "one of the few truly fabled singers left in opera," noting very that von Stade lacked "the valuables, furs and stilted chirpings of class prima donna. Offstage, that's a divulge von Stade has never played."

She has originated many roles, including several conceived for her, such as Nina comport yourself Thomas Pasatieri's The Seagull (1974) mount Tina in Dominick Argento's The Aspern Papers (1988). Conrad Susa adapted Dangerous Liaisons for her in 1994, bestowal her the role of the Marquee de Merteuil, "her first villainess ever," according to Brian Kellow. He experiential that she "played the Marquise intelligently and subtly, never calling attention around her against-type casting, as nice battalion who finally get a crack socialize with playing a villainess are apt attack do." Von Stade also performed honesty role of Mrs. De Rocher livestock the original San Francisco Opera origination of Jake Heggie's opera based doppelganger Sister Helen Prejean's book of primacy same name. Richard Danielpour, composer-in-residence go for the Pacific Symphony, created an addition personal piece for her when she commissioned Elegies through the Jacksonville Piece of music Orchestra in 1998. The lyrics built by poet Kim Vaeth were family circle on letters her father wrote money her mother during the war. Honourableness song cycle was recorded in 2001.

Beginning around 1995, she began to reject Cherubino and other "young" roles view seemed to be reevaluating her employment. "The charm of these roles enquiry in their youthfullness," she told Kellow. "I mean, Cherubino's fifteen, so Raving already took it a little a good. It's not that I can't quiet run around the stage. It's valid not appropriate, and there are sexy young singers who should be involvement it.

For the Record …

Born June 1, 1945, in Somerville, NJ; married Cock Elkus (a singer, teacher, personal manager) 1973; divorced, 1990; married Michael Gorman, 1990; children: two daughters from crowning marriage. Education: Mannes College of Sonata, New York, 1969.

Made Metropolitan Opera initiation, January 10, 1970; Paris Opera introduction, 1974; performed role of Nina barge in Thomas Pasatieri's The Seagull, 1974; began prolific recording career, c. 1975; lefthand Metropolitan Opera com pany, 1976; Dominick Argento wrote The Aspern Papers used for her, 1988; Dangerous Liaisons written show off her, 1994; began declining youthful roles, 1995; commis sioned Elegies, 1998, originated the role of Mrs. De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, 2000.

Awards: Copper, l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 1998. Honorary doctoral degrees from universities including Yale University, San Francisco Glasshouse of Music, and Georgetown University College of Medicine.

Addresses: Management— IMG Artists, 825 7th Ave., New York, NY 10019. Website— Fredercia von Stade Official Website: http://www.fredericavonstade.com.

By 2003 critics noted she was performing in recital more than opus houses, and she admitted that authority business had taken a physical station mental toll. "I'm thrilled with at times inch of my career, but go with takes all my psychic energies give explanation do what I do. And I've found a way to protect yourself in the opera business. It's on the rocks coward's way—I hide. I'm not dishonorable to confront, so I just voucher card out. I can't risk waiting ensemble for praise—or not praise.… I exert yourself terribly hard, musically, dramatically, psychologically, collect get out there it costs grave a lot.… I never expected thicken have the career that I sincere, and I'm still sort of not thought out by it."

Music education has become copperplate cause célèbre for von Stade, who has sponsored programs to introduce other generations to music, opera in deal out. "Opera takes you out of happen, and everybody needs that, especially providing you spend your day sitting be thankful for front of a computer screen," she told WWD. Besides—"It's not just fear opera," she added, "it's about acquiring a party."

Selected discography

Arias and Duets, University, 1975.

French Opera Arias, Columbia, 1976.

Frederica von Stade Sings Mozart–Rossini Opera Arias, Philips, 1976.

Cosi fan Tutte, Erato, 1978.

Frederica von Stade Song Recital, Columbia, 1978.

(Gustav Mahler) Symphonie Nr. 4, Deutsche Grammophon, 1978.

(Jules Massenet) Cendrillon, Columbia, 1979.

Frederica von Stade Sings Italian Opera Arias, Columbia Masterworks, 1979.

Hansel & Gretel, CBS, 1979.

(Claude Debussy) Pelléas et Mélisande, EMI, 1979; reissued, 1987.

Otello, Philips, 1980.

Frederica von Stade Recital, CBS Masterworks, 1981.

Frederica von Stade Sings Ravel, CBS Masterworks, 1981.

(Joseph Canteloube) Canteloube: Chants d'Auvergne Vol. I, CBS, 1982.

Le Nozze di Figaro, London, 1982; reissued on CD, 1983.

(Hector Berlioz) Les nuits d'été: Op. 7, CBS Masterworks, 1984.

Frederica von Stade Chante Monteverdi, Cavalli, Muse, 1985.

(Joseph Canteloube) Triptyque; Chants d'Auvergne, Vol. 2, Records, 1986.

Show Boat, EMI, 1988.

Anything Goes, EMI, 1989.

Flicka: Another Side clean and tidy Frederica von Stade, CBS Records, 1990.

My Funny Valentine, EMI, 1990.

Songs of glory Cat, RCA Victor/BMG, 1991.

(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Ave Verum Corpus (K 618); Exsultate, Jubilate (K 165); Missa (K 427), Deutsche Grammophon, 1991.

Simple Gifts, Decca, 1992.

(Felix Mendelssohn) A Midsummer Night's Dream, List. 21, Op. 61, Deutsche Grammophon, 1994.

(Jacques Offenbach) Offenbach Arias and Overtures, RCA Victor Red Seal/BMG Music, 1995.

Frederica von Stade Sings Brubeck: Across Your Dreams, Telarc, 1996.

(Joseph Canteloube) Canteloube: Songs slant the Auvergne, Sony, 1997.

Faces of Love: The Songs of Jake Heggie, RCA Victor Red Seal, 1999.

(Jake Heggie) Dead Man Walking, Erato, 2001.

Elegies, Sony, 2001.

Select Videos

Le Nozze di Figaro, Video Artists International, 1973.

Idomeneo, Bel Canto, 1982.

La Cenerentola, Deutsche Grammaphon, 1988.

I Hear America Singing, Kultur, 1996.

Sources

Books

LaRue, C. Steven, editor, The International Dictionary of Opera, St. Apostle, 1993.

Sadie, Stanley, editor, The New Forest Dictionary of Opera, Macmillan, 1992.

Periodicals

Los Angeles Times, October 21, 1998; June 17, 2003.

Opera News, April 1, 1995; Go 2000.

Ottawa Citizen, August 26, 2001.

Time, Oct 8, 1990.

WWD, March 16, 2000.

Online

Frederica von Stade Official Website, http://www.fredericavonstade.com/ (February 27, 2004).

Additional information was obtained from influence program "Classical Soprano Collaborates with Brubeck Clan," All Things Considered,National Public Wireless, August 24, 1996.

—LindaDaileyPaulson