Frederica von Stade was born in 1945, grew up in New Jersey, and dreamed of a singing career on Broadway before being auditioned by Sir Rudolf Bing and assigned to several small roles at the Metropolitan Opera in 1970. Paris Opera Director Rolf Lieberman heard an early performance and encouraged her to perform Mozart’s Cherubino in Paris. Cherubino became her signature role, in addition to performing a great range of lyric mezzo roles in opera houses all over the world. Several composers wrote for her; her greatest collaborator has been Jake Heggie. She has lived for many years in Alameda, California, where she enjoys sailing with Mike Gorman, her husband. She retired from the opera stage in 2012 and continues teaching and performing. In this interview, von Stade discusses bel canto, Rossini’s coloratura heroines in La Cenerentola and Barber of Seville, and her love for French operas by Massenet, Thomas, Berlioz, Debussy, and Poulenc.
Title
Frederica von Stade: American Star Mezzo-Soprano
Published
Berkeley, CA, Oral History Center, 2020
Full Collection Name
Arts and Letters Oral Histories Individual Interviews
Type
Text
Archive
The Bancroft Library Oral History Center
Note
Frederica von Stade, “Frederica von Stade: American Star Mezzo-Soprano” conducted by Caroline Crawford from 2011 to 2015, Oral History Center, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2020.
Interview date(s) 2011
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