Lise Lindstrom (born November 18, 1965) [1] is an American operatic soprano. She is best known for the title role of Puccini's Turandot and also highly recognized in the dramatic repertory of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner.
Lindstrom, whose grandfather was a Norwegian immigrant from Stavanger, [2] was born in Alameda, California. She moved to Sonora, where she was raised, when she was 5. After graduating from Sonora High School in 1983, she entered San Francisco State University from which she graduated with bachelor of arts degree. During the time, she took additional voice lessons with Blanche Thebom and sang her first onstage role, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Berkeley Opera alongside her father as the Commendatore. [3] [4] Lindstrom proceeded to musical studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and earned the degree in 1995. [5] After graduation she moved to New York City, managing to make a living by taking temporary jobs while auditioning for agency and artist programs, which made little success. [3] [6]
Lindstrom finally launched her career in 2003 when contacted by Jerome Shannon, then General Director of Mobile Opera, to perform the title role of Turandot . [6]
She came to prominence when she replaced Maria Guleghina as Turandot in November 2009, making her the Metropolitan Opera debut. [7]
Lindstrom made her role debut in the title role of August Everding's 2015 production of Richard Strauss's Elektra at the Hamburg State Opera with Simone Young conducting. [8] At the same house, she debuted in 2017 as Die Färberin in Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten under the baton of Kent Nagano. [9] 2016 saw her role debut as Brünnhilde in Opera Australia's 2016 production of the Ring Cycle . [10] [11] In 2017, she debuted at the Theater an der Wien as Marie in Wozzeck . [12]
Leopoldine Rysanek was an Austrian dramatic soprano.
James King was an American operatic tenor who had an active international singing career in operas and concerts from the 1950s through 2000. Widely regarded as one of the finest American heldentenors of the post-war period, he excelled in performances of the works of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Anja Silja Regina Langwagen is a German soprano singer.
Dame Gwyneth Jones is a Welsh dramatic soprano, widely regarded as one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos in the second half of the 20th century.
Maria Jeritza was a dramatic soprano, long associated with the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Her rapid rise to fame, beauty and personality earned her the nickname "The Moravian Thunderbolt".
Hildegard Behrens was a German operatic soprano with a wide repertoire including Wagner, Weber, Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Alban Berg roles. She performed at major opera houses around the world, and received several Grammy Awards for performances with the Metropolitan Opera.
Viorica Ursuleac was a Romanian operatic dramatic soprano.
Inge Borkh was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Menotti's The Consul, in Basel, in 1951. In 1952, Borkh became a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. She appeared at leading opera houses in Europe and the Americas, and at festivals such as Bayreuth and Salzburg. Trained first as an actress, she was admired for both singing and stage presence, especially in the Richard Strauss roles Salome and Elektra. She also performed in contemporary opera, such as the premiere of Josef Tal's Ashmedai at the Hamburg State Opera in 1971. Her recordings include complete operas and recitals. Borkh was awarded the Hans-Reinhart-Ring, the highest honour for theatre professionals in Switzerland.
Ingrid Kristine Bjoner Pierpoint was a Norwegian soprano who had an international opera career between 1956 and 1990. She was particularly celebrated for her portrayal of Wagnerian heroines and for her performances in operas by Richard Strauss. In addition to performing in operas, Bjoner was an active concert soloist and recital performer throughout her career.
Karan Armstrong was an American operatic soprano, who was celebrated as a singing actress. After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1966, she was given small roles at the Metropolitan Opera, and appeared in leading roles at the New York City Opera from 1969, including Conceptión in Ravel's L'heure espagnol, Blonde in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and the title roles in Verdi's La traviata, Offenbach's La belle Hélène and Puccini's La fanciulla del West. After she performed in Europe from 1974, first as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen, and then as a sensational Salome at the Opéra du Rhin, she enjoyed a career at major opera houses, appearing in several opera recordings and films. Armstrong was for decades a leading soprano at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where her husband Götz Friedrich was director. She appeared in world premieres, including Gottfried von Einem's Jesu Hochzeit, Luciano Berio's Un re in ascolto and York Höller's Der Meister und Margarita. She was awarded the title Kammersängerin twice.
Sylvie Valayre is a French operatic soprano known for her versatile interpretations of lyric, spinto, and dramatic coloratura soprano parts. She sings grueling roles like Abigaille, Lady Macbeth or Turandot as well as lighter pieces like Giordano's Maddalena, Cio-Cio San, or Verdi's Desdemona at major opera houses around the world.
Éva Marton is a Hungarian dramatic soprano, particularly known for her operatic portrayals of Puccini's Turandot and Tosca, and Wagnerian roles.
A dramatic soprano is a type of operatic soprano with a powerful, rich, emotive voice that can sing over, or cut through, a full orchestra. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than other sopranos, and a darker timbre. They are often used for heroic, often long-suffering, tragic women of opera. Dramatic sopranos have a range from approximately low A (A3) to "high C" (C6). Some dramatic sopranos, known as Wagnerian sopranos or High dramatic sopranos (high in this case referring to the maturity of the voice, rather than the tessitura or range), have an exceptionally big voice that can assert itself over a large orchestra (of more than 80 or even 100 players). These voices are substantial, often denser in tone, extremely powerful and, ideally, evenly balanced throughout the vocal registers. Wagnerian sopranos usually play mythic heroines. Successful Wagnerian sopranos are rare and often Wagnerian roles are performed by Italianate dramatic sopranos.
Susan Owen, also known by her married name Susan Owen-Leinert, is an American operatic soprano, voice teacher, and opera director. She had an active international performance career during the 1980s and 1990s. She currently is the head of the vocal arts division at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis and serves as General Manager of The Chamber Opera of Memphis.
Christel Goltz was a German operatic soprano. One of the leading dramatic sopranos of her generation, she possessed a rich voice with a brilliant range and intensity. She was particularly associated with the operas of Richard Strauss, especially Salome and Elektra, and with contemporary operas.
Ursula Schröder-Feinen was a German operatic dramatic soprano who performed internationally, including at the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayreuth Festival.
Emily Magee is an American operatic soprano.
Helga Pilarczyk was a German operatic soprano.
Evelyn Herlitzius is a German opera singer, a dramatic soprano. She is known for performing major roles in works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, such as Brünnhilde, Isolde and Elektra, at the Semperoper, the Bayreuth Festival and leading European opera houses.
Sigrid Kehl is a German operatic soprano and mezzo-soprano.