Mary Curtis Verna
Mary Virginia Curtis Verna (May 9, 1921 – December 4, 2009) was an American operatic soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, she studied at Abbot Academy and Hollins College. She continued her education at the Juilliard School where she studied with Hardesty Johnson. After graduating from Juilliard, she began studying with Ettore Verna at the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Martha Lipton. She later married Verna in 1954. [1][2]
With Verna's intervention, she made her operatic debut at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, as
Verna made her American debut at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company on May 14, 1952 in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida with Ramón Vinay as Radamès, Claramae Turner as Amneris, and Giuseppe Bamboschek conducting. Later that year she appeared in the same role for her debut with the San Francisco Opera. She made her first appearance at the New York City Opera, as Donna Anna, in 1954, and also sang Aida and Tosca with the company.
In 1957, Verna made her debut at the
During her tenure at the Metropolitan Opera, Verna became well-known and acclaimed for filling in for indisposed divas, often on only a few hours notice.[3]
Verna made guest appearances with several other American opera companies, including Cincinnati and Baltimore. In 1962, she sang with the Philadelphia Lyric Opera in Manon Lescaut, conducted by Julius Rudel and in 1964, La Gioconda opposite Franco Corelli and conducted by Anton Guadagno. She also sang with South American opera companies, including the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Verna made comparatively few commercial recordings, including in Philadelphia. Several recordings of other live performances also survive.
Verna left the Metropolitan Opera in 1966, her final appearance was in the gala closing night performance at the old house. In 1969, she accepted the position of Head of the Voice Department at the University of Washington School of Music. That same year, she gave one of her final operatic performances in Turandot with the Seattle Opera, alternating with Birgit Nilsson in the title role. She retired from the University of Washington in 1991.[2]
Verna died at her home in
References
- ^ "Notable Alumni: Short List". Archived from the original on June 2, 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ a b Marmor, Jon (March 2010), Mary Curtis-Verna, 1921–2009: A Voice of Beauty, Columns Magazine
- ^ a b Fox, Margalit (December 22, 2009), "Mary Curtis-Verna, Opera's Champion Pinch-Hitter, Dies at 88", The New York Times
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