Brenda Lewis
Brenda Lewis | |
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Born | |
Died | September 16, 2017 | (aged 96)
Brenda Lewis (March 2, 1921 – September 16, 2017) was an American operatic soprano, musical theatre actress, opera director, and music educator. She enjoyed a 20-year-long collaboration with the New York City Opera (NYCO) with whom she notably created roles in several world premieres by American composers; including the title role in Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden in 1965. She also performed with frequency at the Metropolitan Opera from 1952 to 1965, and was active as a guest artist with notable opera companies both nationally and internationally. Although she is mainly remembered as an exponent of American operas and musicals, she performed a broad repertoire of works and was particularly celebrated for her portrayals of Marie in Wozzeck, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, and the title roles of Carmen and Salome; the latter of which she performed for the inauguration of the Houston Grand Opera in 1956.
Lewis was also a familiar face to
Education and early career
Born Birdie Solomon into a
While a student at Curtis, Lewis made her professional opera debut in December 1939 at the age of 18 as the 'Prima giovinetta' in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with Sylvan Levin's Philadelphia Opera Company (POC). She appeared in several more roles with the POC over the next three years, including Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride (1940), Minni in Die Fledermaus (1940), Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann (1941), the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier (1941[3]), a young girl in Spiel oder Ernst (1941), and Dorabella in Così fan tutte (1942).[4]
Work in New York City
In May 1944 Lewis made her
In late 1944/early 1945 Lewis performed the role of Saffi in The Gypsy Baron in the NYCO's United States tour which was the brain child of impresario Sol Hurok.[11] She then made her Lincoln Center debut with the NYCO as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana.[12] She went on to sing several more roles with the NYCO over the next 20 years, including Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Idiomantes in Idomeneo, Marenka in The Bartered Bride, Marguerite in Faust, and the title roles in Carmen and Salome among others. In 1959 she portrayed Zinida in the original production of Robert Ward's He Who Gets Slapped.[13] Her final role with the NYCO was in another world premiere: the title role in Jack Beeson's Lizzie Borden in 1965.[14] That production was filmed by WGBH in Boston and broadcast nationally on PBS in 1967.[15]
While more frequently seen at the NYCO, Lewis was also a regular performer at the
Other work and later life
Lewis gave her first international performance at the
Lewis also appeared as a guest artist with numerous American opera companies, including the
After retiring from the opera stage in the late 1960s, Lewis devoted her time to producing and directing operas at the
Lewis died on September 16, 2017, at her home in Connecticut, aged 96.[26]
Recordings
- Victoria de Los Angeles, now available through Omega Opera Archive and House of Opera CD)
- The Girl In Pink Tights– Original Broadway Cast Album (1954)
- Marc Blitzstein's Regina (1958, Sony)
- Song of Norway – Jones Beach Marine Theater (1958)
References
- ^ a b c d "Brenda Lewis". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Dan Sullivan (January 10, 1966). "Marion Freschl, 70, Feted by Her 'Alumni'; Marian Anderson Is M.C. at Party for Voice Teacher". The New York Times.
- ^ "ROSENKAVALIER' IS HEARD; First American Performance in English at Philadelphia". The New York Times. December 3, 1941.
- ^ Free Library of Philadelphia: Folder: Philadelphia Opera Company 1938-1944
- ^ Irving Spiegel (May 14, 1944). "OPERA GOES LIGHT ON BROADWAY". The New York Times.
- ^ Noel Straus (May 15, 1944). "DOUBLE BILL SUNG BY THE NEW OPERA; 'La Serva Padrona' and 'Secret of Suzanne' Marked by Many Novel Details". The New York Times.
- ^ Sam Zolotow (October 22, 1948). "LUCRETIA' CHORE FOR MISS DE MILLE; She Will Direct the BrittenDuncan Musical Drama, Due to Open Here on Dec. 29". The New York Times.
- ^ Blue, Robert Wilder. "Brenda Lewis Recalls Marc Blitzstein and Regina". Archived from the original on November 26, 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
- ISBN 9780823083657.
- ^ Howard Taubman (April 18, 1964). "Theater: 'Cafe Crown'; Musical Based on Kraft Play at Martin Beck" (PDF). The New York Times.
- ^ "Events In the World of Music". The New York Times. April 1, 1945.
- ^ "BRENDA LEWIS SINGS IN MASCAGNI'S OPERA". The New York Times. April 22, 1945.
- ^ Douglas Moore (April 12, 1959). "OPERA AS THEATRE; American Composers Have Learned Public Demands a Good Libretto". The New York Times.
- ^ "Opera: New Music, Old Legend". Time. April 2, 1965.
- ^ "TV Review; 'Lizzie Borden' Opera Is Compelling Theater". The New York Times. January 26, 1967.
- ^ "Metropolitan Opera Archives". archives.metoperafamily.org/. Archived from the original on 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ^ "Brenda Lewis". Operissimo. Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
- ^ "Brenda Lewis". San Francisco Opera Performance Archives.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ISBN 9780876112977.
- ^ Harold C. Schonberg (December 17, 1960). "TV: A Christmas Opera; ' Golden Child,' Nativity Set in California Gold Fields of 1849, Has Premiere" (PDF). The New York Times.
- ^ "Cast Lists - 1960 through 1969". Lyric Opera of Chicago Performance Archives.
- ^ Free Library of Philadelphia: Bound: Philadelphia Grand Opera Company 1955-1974
- ^ "Milestones". Time. March 16, 1959.
- ^ "Milestones". Time. Feb 1, 1960.
- ^ "Benjamin Cooper; Engineer was Technion Founder". The Hour. February 21, 1991.
- ^ Fox, Margalit (16 December 2017). "Brenda Lewis, Versatile American Soprano, Is Dead at 96". The New York Times
External links
- Brenda Lewis at the Internet Broadway Database
- Brenda Lewis at IMDb