Arlene Saunders

Arlene Saunders (born in Cleveland, on October 5, 1935) is a celebrated American soprano. After making her operatic debut as Rosalinde von Eisenstein, in "Die Fledermaus", with the National Opera Company in 1958, she made her first appearance with the New York City Opera in 1961, as Giorgetta in "Il tabarro" (conducted by Julius Rudel). With that company, she soon sang in "Carmen" (as Micaëla), "La bohème" (as Mimì), "Louise" (opposite Norman Treigle as the Père), "Die lustige Witwe" and "Don Giovanni" (as Donna Elvira).

In 1964, Saunders began a fruitful relationship with the Hamburg State Opera, with whom she made films of "Le nozze di Figaro" (as the Contessa, 1967), "Der Freischütz" (1968), and "Die Meistersinger" (with Richard Cassilly and Giorgio Tozzi, 1970). For RCA, she recorded "Il re pastore" (with Lucia Popp and Reri Grist), in 1967. In 1971, she created the title role in Ginastera's "Beatrix Cenci", which she repeated at the City Opera in 1973. She sang at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976, as Eva in "Die Meistersinger", and in 1978, the soprano returned to the City Opera for "La fanciulla del West". She also appeared at Milan, London (Covent Garden), Paris, Vienna, Rome and Buenos Aires.

In 1985, Miss Saunders was named a "Kammersängerin", in Hamburg. That same year, she gave her Farewell, as the Marschallin in "Der Rosenkavalier", at the Teatro Colón.

References

* "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera", by John Warrack & Ewan West, Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-280028-0