Rosalind Elias

Mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias had a long, leading career in opera on the international scene. She was most often heard at the Metropolitan Opera, where she spent more than 40 years as part of its company. There, and elsewhere, she performed in many American and world premieres. Elias was born on March 13, 1931, in Lowell, Massachusetts. Her professional life began while she was still a student at the New England Conservatory of Music when she was invited to sing in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea, as Poppea, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She also studied at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood. She joined the New England Opera Company in 1948, remaining through 1952. She moved to Italy for further studies with Luigi Ricci and Nazzareno de Angelis. She began attracting major attention with appearances at the leading opera houses of San Carlo in Naples and La Scala in Milan before she joined the company of the Metropolitan Opera in 1954. Among her major roles were Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Carmen, Baba the Turk in The Rake's Progress, Rossini's Cenerentola, and the leading mezzo roles in both full-length Samuel Barber operas: Erika in Vanessa and Charmian in Antony and Cleopatra, both of which she created at the Metropolitan Opera world premieres in 1958 and 1963, respectively. She was known for a rich, dramatic voice and good stage presence. She made many recordings and frequently appeared on television and radio. At the turn of the 21st century, she was still singing occasionally, mostly in smaller parts, including as the Mother in Hugo Weisgall's Six Characters in Search of an Author and the Old Prioress in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites, as well as continuing to appear as Barber's Erika. In 2007, Elias performed in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath and, in 2008, David Carlson's Anna Karenina. Another late role, at the age of 82, was as Heidi in a revival of Follies in 2011, which also marked her Broadway debut. Elias, suffering from congestive heart failure, died May 3, 2020, in Manhattan. ~ Patsy Morita & Joseph Stevenson