Lucine Amara
| Lucine Amara | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1 1927 |
| Genre(s) | Opera |
| Occupation(s) | Opera singer |
| Instrument(s) | Voice (soprano) |
| Years active | 1946–2005 |
Lucine Amara (born March 1, 1927) is a soprano diva, and was prima donna of the New York Metropolitan Opera from 1950 to 1991. She was born Lucine Tockqui Armaganian in Hartford, Connecticut, of Armenian descent.
Biography
As a young child, Amara studied violin with Bertha Roth in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1945–6, at San Francisco's Community Music School she studied under Stella Eisner-Eyn and sang in the chorus of the San Francisco Opera. In 1946, Amara made her concert debut at the War Memorial Opera House.[1] Continuing her studies at the Music Academy of the West with Richard Bonelli in 1947, she won a contest to appear at the Hollywood Bowl in 1948. She continued as a student at the University of Southern California and as a soloist for the San Francisco Symphony for the following two years. Amara appeared in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos and as Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring in 1949.
In November 1950, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the "Voice from Heaven" in Verdi's Don Carlos, the opening night of Sir Rudolf Bing's inaugural season as general manager.[2] Amara continued at the Met for 41 consecutive seasons until 1991, singing 56 roles in 882 appearances, more than 60 of which were broadcast on radio and television. Appearing regularly as Micaëla in Carmen, Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly, and Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, she recorded performances such as I Pagliacci and Mimì in La Bohème. Her repertoire also included Leonora in Il Trovatore, Aida, Donna Anna, and Pamina. Amara performed in Europe, Asia, and South America, including at Glyndebourne (1954–55, 1957–58), the Edinburgh Festival (1954), the Vienna State Opera (1961), Russia (1965), and China (1983.)
After retiring, Amara became the artistic director of the New Jersey Association of Verismo and taught master classes throughout North America. On January 23, 2005, she performed as a special guest artist with the Musica Bella Orchestra.
Honors
The Times called Amara "the greatest lyric soprano of our time." Time Magazine wrote that "she brought to the stage the kind of dazzling vocal splendor that made the Met famous."[2] In 1989 she was inducted into the Academy of Vocal Arts Hall of Fame.[3]
Filmography
- Carmen (1952) (TV), Frasquita
- The Great Caruso (1951), Opera Montage[4]
References
- ^ Lucine Amara Biography. Naxos.com. Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
- ^ a b Biography of Musica Bella Orchestra Special Guest Lucine Amara. The Musica Bella Orchestra of New York. Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
- ^ Amara, Lucine. (2007) Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 10, 2007
- ^ Lucine Amara's profile on iMDB. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
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