Lauren Flanigan

Last updated

Lauren Flanigan (born May 18, 1958) is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1980s. She enjoyed a particularly fruitful partnership with the New York City Opera, appearing with the company almost every year since 1990. She has sung more than 100 different opera roles on stage during her career, often appearing in contemporary works or more rarely staged operas. [1] Opera News stated that, "Flanigan has enjoyed one of the most distinctive careers of any artist of her generation, one marked by a high volume of contemporary works. Modern composers love her because of her innate musicality, dramatic power and lightning-fast skills and instincts." [2]

Contents

Education and early career

Flanigan was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch parents. In 1971, at the age of 12, she appeared as Flora in Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw with the San Francisco Western Opera Theatre. Her portrayal of Flora resulted in being offered a full scholarship to study music, violin and voice in the pre-college program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While there she studied voice with Alice Taylor. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University where she was a voice student of Mac Morgan. [3] She pursued graduate studies in vocal performance with Judith Raskin at the Manhattan School of Music, earning a Master of Music degree in 1984. [4] In 1986 she was accepted as a post graduate student in voice at the Juilliard School.

Flanigan credits much of her early experience to the singular interest of Dr. Robert Larsen of the Des Moines Metro Opera where in 1985 she was cast as Clorinda in Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola and as Curley's Wife in Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men . This was followed by performances in 1987 as Musetta in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw; 1989 as Rosalinda in Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus ; and 1990 in Britten's Peter Grimes . In 1986 she performed the role of Leila in Georges Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles for the Hawaii Opera Theatre. In 1987 she appeared in the world premiere of Stewart Wallace's Where's Dick? with Opera Omaha under the direction of Anne Bogart. She returned to Omaha in 1988 to perform the role of Sophie Scholl in the United States premiere of Udo Zimmermann's Weiße Rose . [5] In January of that same year she premiered at St Clement's Church in New York City, Music-Theatre Group's reworking of the Massenet opera Cendrillon in a new production titled Cinderella/Cendrillon and reimagined by playwright Eve Ensler, music director Jeff Halprin and stage director Anne Bogart.

In 1990 Flanigan sang the role of Christine in Richard Strauss' Intermezzo with the Glimmerglass Opera, [6] returning there two years later to portray the Governess in The Turn of the Screw. [7] In 1991 she made her debut at the Seattle Opera as Donna Anna in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni , later returning there as the Governess and as Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata . In 1992 she sang the role of the Bride/Wife/Mother in the United States premiere of Judith Weir's The Vanishing Bridegroom at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. [8]

Singing in New York City

Flanigan made her debut at the New York City Opera (NYCO) in October 1990 as Musetta in La bohème with Jianyi Zhang as Rodolfo, Geraldine McMillian as Mimi, Peter Barcza as Marcello, and Joseph Colaneri conducting. [9] She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera the following year as Lucienne in the world premiere of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles . She returned to the Met in 1993 to portray the role of the Foreign Princess in Antonín Dvořák's Rusalka (with Gwynne Geyer in the title role and Ben Heppner as the Prince) and Giselda in Giuseppe Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata (opposite Luciano Pavarotti and Samuel Ramey). She made her last appearance to date at the Met on October 6, 1994 as Musetta to the Mimì of Angela Gheorghiu and Rodolfo as Richard Leech. [10]

While Flanigan's appearances at the Met have been limited, she has remained a constant presence at the NYCO for the past two decades. For this company, she created the title role in the world premiere of Hugo Weisgall's Esther on 8 October 1993 [11] and the role of Eve in the premiere of Deborah Drattell's Lilith in November 2001. Some of the other roles she has sung with the company include Ursula in Mathis der Maler (1995), the Governess in The Turn of the Screw (1996), Anna I in Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins (1997), Lady Macbeth in Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth (1997 and 2001), Abigail Borden in Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden (1999), Greta in Drattell's Festival of Regrets (1999), Susan B. Anthony in Virgil Thomson's The Mother of Us All (2000), Elizabeth I in Gaetano Donizetti's Roberto Devereux (2000), Marietta in Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Die tote Stadt (2001), Christine Mannon in Marvin David Levy's Mourning Becomes Electra (2003), the title role in Samuel Barber's Vanessa (2007), and Cleopatra in Barber's Antony and Cleopatra (2008–2009). She was most recently heard with the company in a revival of Weisgall's Esther in 2009 and in 2011 as Myra in Stephen Schwartz's Séance on a Wet Afternoon . [12]

Flanigan has also appeared in numerous concerts and operas at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall notably commissioned composer Philip Glass's Symphony No. 6, Plutonian Ode, specifically for her. [13]

Other work in the United States and abroad

In March 1996 Flanigan made her debut at La Scala as Abigaille in Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco under conductor Riccardo Muti. [14] On 6 September 1996 she made her debut at the San Francisco Opera as Yaroslavna in Alexander Borodin's Prince Igor , with Sergei Leiferkus in the title role. [15] In 1998 she made her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Christine Mannon in Marvin David Levy's Mourning Becomes Electra . She appeared at the Santa Fe Opera in 2000 as the Prima Donna in Hans Werner Henze's Venus und Adonis . She returned to Chicago in 2004-2005 to portray Tulip in the world premiere of William Bolcom's A Wedding . [16] On 2 June 2007 she created the title role in the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri's Frau Margot at the Fort Worth Opera. [17] She has also appeared at the Bavarian State Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and the Teatro San Carlo. [18]

Recordings

Flanigan has sung on recordings of Ned Rorem's The Sun Cantata , Amy Beach's Cabildo, Thomas Pasatieri's Frau Margot , Pasatieri's Monologues, Philip Glass's Symphony No. 6 (Plutonian Ode) , Gustav Mahler's Symphony #8, Deems Taylor's Peter Ibbetson , and Howard Hanson's Merry Mount . In 2002 her recording of Richard Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. [13] She can be seen as the Ice Skating Opera Diva in the motion picture Death to Smoochy .

Awards and honours

Related Research Articles

<i>La bohème</i> 1895 opera by Giacomo Puccini

La bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger. The story is set in Paris around 1830 and shows the Bohemian lifestyle of a poor seamstress and her artist friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renata Scotto</span> Italian soprano and stage director

Renata Scotto is an Italian soprano and opera director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renée Fleming</span> American soprano

Renée Lynn Fleming is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times. Other notable awards have included the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the French government, Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and honorary membership in England's Royal Academy of Music. Unusual among artists whose careers began in opera, Fleming has achieved name recognition beyond the classical music world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Malfitano</span> American opera singer

Catherine Malfitano is an American operatic soprano and opera director. Malfitano was born in New York City, the daughter of a ballet dancer mother, Maria Maslova, and a violinist father, Joseph Malfitano. She attended the High School of Music and Art and studied at the Frank Corsaro Studio and Manhattan School of Music, graduating in 1971. She often mentions that she was rejected from The Juilliard School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Racette</span> American operatic soprano (born 1965)

Patricia Lynn Racette is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Francisco Opera, where she has been a regular performer since 1989, and with the Metropolitan Opera, where she has performed since 1995. Also active on the concert stage, Racette has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She also received the award for Best Opera Recording for her performance in the Los Angeles Opera's production of The Ghosts of Versailles at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Hong Hei-Kyung, often known in the west as Hei-Kyung Hong, is a South Korean operatic lyric soprano.

Dawn Kotoski is an American operatic soprano who has a substantial international opera career. She began her career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the late 1980s singing lighter lyric soprano and soubrette roles. She joined the Vienna State Opera for the 1993–1994 season and since then her career has been centered mostly in Europe. She is the wife of tenor Neil Shicoff.

Elaine Malbin is an American soprano who had a prolific international career singing in operas, musicals, and concerts from the 1940s through the 1960s. She made her Town Hall debut at the age of 14. She appeared in a number of Broadway productions in the 1940s and 1950s and notably portrayed Marsinah in the original 1953 West End production of Kismet. She starred on Broadway in the title role of My Darlin’ Aida & sang a season of Gilbert and Sullivan at the Mark Hellinger Theater in New York. She was a regular at the New York City Opera during the 1950s and 1960s with leading roles in Love for Three Oranges, Carmen (Micaela), Turandot (Liù), La Bohème (Mimi) and Don Giovanni (Zerlina). She appeared with most of America's leading opera companies during this time as well, including the Houston Grand Opera and the San Francisco Opera. In San Francisco Malbin debuted in a staged version of Carmina Burnana and sang Mimi in La Bohème. She also appeared in concert with several notable orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. On the International stage she appeared at a number of opera houses and major music festivals in the United Kingdom, Italy, and France. She performed at the Glyndebourne and Edinburgh Festivals as well as Madama Butterfly with the Scottish Opera Company. She is perhaps best remembered for appearing in several opera roles live for television with the NBC Opera Theatre and for recording two duets with Mario Lanza at RCA on 11 April 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Bower</span> American operatic soprano (1925–2002)

Beverly Bower was an American operatic soprano who had an active international opera career from the mid-1950s through the early 1970s. She began her opera career at the New York City Opera where she sang between 1956 and 1963. She later worked mainly as a freelance artist with important opera companies throughout the United States and with a few opera companies in Europe.

Eva Likova was an American operatic soprano of Czech descent. She was notably one of the major sopranos at the New York City Opera during the company's early years. She also made guest appearances with a number of opera houses in North America and Europe, enjoying a particularly fruitful partnership with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company. After retiring from the opera stage in 1966, she embarked on a second career as a voice teacher.

Dodi Protero was a Canadian operatic soprano who had a prolific international career from 1955 through 1980. A singer with a great deal of technical finesse, she excelled in the coloratura soprano and soubrette repertoires. She later had a successful second career as a voice teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hibla Gerzmava</span> Abkhazian soprano

Hibla Leverasovna Gerzmava is an Abkhazian-Russian operatic soprano who currently resides in Moscow.

The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company (PCOC) was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established partially through funds provided by the city of Philadelphia and its then-mayor, W. Freeland Kendrick. The company was led by Artistic Director Alexander Smallens. Tracy served as the company's President and ran the business side of the organization while Smallens served as the company's primary conductor and made all of the artistic decisions. W. Attmore Robinson was later brought in to help Smallens with some of the artistic direction. The company performed between 10 and 15 operas every year during an annual season until it went bankrupt a year after the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

June Card is an American soprano and stage director who had an active career in operas and concerts from 1959 through today. She began her career as a chorus girl on Broadway before moving into opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Kaduce</span> American soprano (born 1974)

Kelly Kaduce is an American soprano. She was born in Winnebago, Minnesota, United States of America. A graduate of St. Olaf College and Boston University, Kaduce won the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Zeppilli</span> French operatic singer

Alice Zeppilli was a French operatic soprano of Italian heritage who had an active international singing career from 1901 to 1930. The pinnacle of her career was in the United States where she enjoyed great popularity between 1906 and 1914; particularly in the cities of Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. She was popular in Monte Carlo where she performed frequently from 1904–19 and later worked as a singing teacher after her retirement from the stage. She made only one recording, a phonograph cylinder for Columbia Records consisting of the Gavotte from Jules Massenet's Manon and Olympia's Doll Aria from Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

Maria Pellegrini is a Canadian operatic soprano of Italian birth who has had an active international career since the 1960s. She is particularly associated with the operas of Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi. In 1965 she became a naturalized Canadian citizen.

Brenda Rae is an American operatic soprano who has performed leading roles in opera houses internationally. She was a resident artist at the Frankfurt Opera from 2008 through 2017. She is a featured performer on the Naxos Records 2015 recording of Milhaud's L'Orestie d'Eschyle, which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.

Barbara Daniels is an American operatic soprano.

Sheri Greenawald is an American soprano and music educator who had an active performance career in concerts and operas during the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century. She has portrayed principal roles in the world premieres of several operas, including works by composers Leonard Bernstein, Daniel Catán, Carlisle Floyd, Thomas Pasatieri, and Stephen Paulus. She has performed leading roles with opera companies in the US and abroad, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Bavarian State Opera, La Fenice, and Paris Opera. She was particularly active as a performer with the Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera. A former member of the voice faculty at the Boston Conservatory, she served as director of the San Francisco Opera Center from 2002 through 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "BU Alumna Lauren Flanigan returns for masterclasses and a concert performance of Vanessa". Boston University. September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  2. ↑ Scott Barnes (October 2011). "The Diva Next Door". Opera News . 76 (4).
  3. ↑ "Mac Morgan, 89, Bass-Baritone Who Went on to Teach Voice, Dies". The New York Times . June 20, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Manhattan School of Music: Alumni Virtual Yearbooks". msmnyc.edu. 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  5. ↑ Holland, Bernard (September 17, 1988). "Review/Opera; An Omaha Premiere For 'The White Rose'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  6. ↑ Oestreich, James R. (August 16, 1990). "Review/Opera; Richard Strauss's 'Intermezzo,' at Glimmerglass". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  7. ↑ Holland, Bernard (July 28, 1992). "Review/Opera; Ghosts: In Minds, In Mirrors, In Flesh". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  8. ↑ Rothstein, Edward (June 4, 1992). "Review/Music; A Scottish Opera Has U.S. Premiere in St. Louis". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  9. ↑ Holland, Bernard (October 27, 1990). "Reviews/Music; 3 Debuts in 'La Boheme". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Metropolitan Opera archives (search for Met Player: Lauren Flanigan)". metoperafamily.org. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  11. ↑ Rothstein, Edward (October 11, 1993). "Review/Opera; Esther Lives in Modern Musical Terms". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  12. ↑ Anthony Tommasini (April 20, 2011). "A Crime Lurks on the Dark Side of a Clairvoyant Realm". The New York Times .
  13. 1 2 3 "Lauren Flanigan, soprano". www.seattleopera.org.
  14. ↑ Bargreen, Melinda (July 21, 1996). "Don't Call Her Diva — Soprano Lauren Flanigan, Starring In Seattle Opera's 'La Traviata', Has No Patience With Big Attitudes". Seattle Times . Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Viewing by Cast". San Francisco Opera. 2005. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  16. ↑ "2000/01 Season". Lyric Opera of Chicago. 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Pasatieri's return to opera impressive". Opera Today. June 5, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  18. ↑ "American Opera Projects Offers Series of Unique Classes For Singers Led by Lauren Flanigan (Press Release)" (PDF). operaprojects.org. December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.