Happy Birthday: Frederica von Stade

"Clair du lune" Fauré

Frederica von Stade (born June 1, 1945) is an American mezzo-soprano. Born in Somerville, New Jersey, she acquired the nickname "Flicka" in her childhood. Von Stade attended the Mannes College of Music in New York City. She made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1970 and in 1971 appeared as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at the Santa Fe Opera. "It was two of the newcomers who left the audience dazzled: Frederica von Stade as Cherubino and Kiri Te Kanawa as the Countess. Everyone knew at once that these were brilliant finds. History has confirmed that first impression." Trained in the bel canto style, von Stade is known for her roles in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and La Cenerentola. In addition to opera, von Stade has also performed a wide range of musicals, from Show Boat to The

"Ah, non credea...Ah, non giunge"
La Sonnambula (Bellini)

Sound of Music to A Little Night Music and has appeared on numerous PBS specials, most notably in 1991's A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert. She has also appeared in many Kennedy Center Honors broadcasts for CBS. Von Stade is also a respected recital artist, performing works ranging from Mozart and Haydn to Mahler to Broadway show tunes. Her LP album of Mahler songs was praised as "cherishable" by Peter G. Davis of The New York Times. Composers, including Dominick Argento, Jake Heggie and Richard Danielpour, have produced works specifically for von Stade. She originated the role of "Tina" in Dallas Opera's world premiere production of Argento's The Aspern Papers. She has also recorded other works by Argento. Danielpour composed Elegies for orchestra, mezzo-soprano, and baritone in memory of von Stade's father, Charles von Stade, who was killed late in World War II, two months before von Stade's birth. Elegies premiered in January 1998 with the Jacksonville Symphony led by Roger Nierenberg and has now been recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2008, she created the role of "Madeline" in the

"Evening prayer" Hänsel und Gretel
(Humperdinck) w/Judith Blegen

opera Last Acts, a part which the composer Jake Heggie had especially written for her. Von Stade was the featured performer at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and also sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Cultural Olympiad held in conjunction with the games. She also sang at the choir's annual Christmas Concert the following year. She currently resides in Alameda, California where she gives performances supporting the arts in local schools. She has made over sixty recordings, including complete operas, aria albums, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular
crossover albums. She has done humorous recordings, such as Songs of the Cat with Garrison Keillor. Her Show Boat album was a bestseller. She has also appeared

"Assisa a pie d'un salice"
Otello (Rossini)

with Kathleen Battle and Judi Dench on Seiji Ozawa's recording of Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her recordings have garnered six Grammy nominations, two Grand Prix du Disque awards, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, Italy's Premio della Critica Discografica, and "Best of the Year" citations by Stereo Review and Opera News. Von Stade was honored with an award in 1983 at the White House by President Reagan in recognition of her significant contribution to the arts and by France's highest honor in the Arts as an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Von Stade was the idol of a key character in the CBS series Northern Exposure (her interpretation of "Bailero" from Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne appeared on its

"Baïlèro" Chants d'Auvergne
(Canteloube)

original soundtrack album). A case summary involving a dispute over marital property and earnings (Elkus v. Elkus, 572 N.Y.S.2d 901 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)) between von Stade and Peter Elkus, formerly her husband, appears in Dukeminier's Property textbook, commonly used in the first year of law school. Von Stade appeared in the finale of We Are Most Amused, the Charity Gala thrown for the 60th birthday of Prince Charles. She performed as a Valkyrie accompanying Eric Idle in singing a modified version of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." [Source]

"Nacqui all'affanno...Non più mesta"
La Cenerentola (Rossini)


"Una voce poco fa"
Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)


"Tanti affetti in tal momento"
La Donna del Lago (Rossini)

"Non so più" Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)

"Tu fosti tradito" La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart)

"Laudamus te" Great Mass in c minor (Mozart)

"Una donna come me"

Il Mondo della Luna (Haydn)

"Disprezzata Regina"
L'incoronaziones di Poppea (Monteverdi)

"Barbaro conte...Dell'amor mio fedele"
La Fedelta Premiata (Haydn)

"Les Filles de Cadix" Delibes


"Tu n'es pas beau, tu n'es pas riche"
La Périchole (Offenbach)


"Enfin, je suis ici" Cendrillon (Massenet)

Arkiv Music Revives Classics From CBS/RCA Catalog

Many recordings by fine artists like Frederica von Stade and Shirley Verrett have never seen the light of day on compact disc. That has changed now that Arkiv Music has licensed eight releases from Sony, which holds the rights to the catalogs of CBS Masterworks and RCA, allowing the artistry of these two singers to be brought to the world. Now, any chance we could get re-issues of Anna Moffo's French Opera Arias, complete Thaïs, Debussy songs, Verdi arias, Irvin Berlin and Gershwin songs, La Juive highlights, bel canto songs of Bellini, Verdi, Rossini and Donizetti, Dream Duets with Sergio Franchi, One Night in Love with Skitch Henderson, the album of her singing works she composed, etc.?

Frederica von Stade Channels Callas Master Class Experience

An early portrait of Frederica von Stade

The famous mezzo-soprano who made her San Francisco Opera debut in 1971 will be appearing in the city this coming Tuesday in a program titled "An Evening with Frederica von Stade." The event will be at the Conservatory of Music promises to "share technique tips with a select group of conservatory voice students on stage, interspersed with personal stories told to the audience..." The singer actually attended a pair of master classes that the legendary master classes of Maria Callas at the Juilliard School of Music in New York during the early 1970s. She fondly remembers, “Callas was humble and committed and devoted with all her might to her art." One singer currently singing on opera stages today that impresses von Stade is Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, "[she] is out of this world and actually started as a Merola and Adler Fellow at San Franciso Opera.” The event will be free. For more information click here. [Source]