Role

:

Conductor  

Birth

:

September 13, 1939 in Los Angeles, CA

Death

:

June 10, 1993 in Leusden, The Netherlands

Genre

:

Choral

 

 

Vocal

 

Arleen Augér was an American soprano who was born on September 13, 1939, in South Gate, California. She was the youngest of three children and grew up in a musical family. Her father was a jazz pianist, and her mother was a singer. Augér began singing at a young age and was encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in music. Augér attended California State University, Long Beach, where she studied music and voice. She later went on to study at the University of Southern California and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. In 1963, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which launched her career as an opera singer. Augér made her professional debut in 1964 with the San Francisco Opera, where she sang the role of the First Lady in Mozart's "The Magic Flute." She quickly gained recognition for her clear, pure voice and her ability to convey emotion through her singing. Throughout her career, Augér performed with some of the world's most prestigious opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, and the Vienna State Opera. She was known for her performances in Mozart's operas, particularly "The Magic Flute" and "Don Giovanni," as well as in works by Handel, Bach, and Schubert. One of Augér's most memorable performances was in 1983, when she sang the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Salzburg Festival. Her performance was widely praised, and she received a standing ovation from the audience. Augér was also a prolific concert singer and performed with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. She was particularly known for her performances of Bach's cantatas and Handel's oratorios. In addition to her performances, Augér was also a respected voice teacher and taught at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was known for her ability to help her students develop their own unique voices and for her emphasis on the importance of musical expression. Throughout her career, Augér received many awards and honors for her contributions to classical music. In 1989, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, and in 1990, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was also a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance in 1986 for her recording of Schubert's "Die schöne Müllerin." Sadly, Augér's career was cut short when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1993. She continued to perform and teach despite her illness, but she passed away on June 10, 1993, at the age of 53. Augér's legacy lives on through her recordings and the many singers she taught. She was known for her beautiful voice, her expressive singing, and her dedication to the art of classical music. She will always be remembered as one of the great sopranos of the 20th century.

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