Helen Vanni

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Helen Vanni
Born
Helen Spaeth

(1924-01-30)30 January 1924
Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Died5 March 2023(2023-03-05) (aged 99)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Alma materSt. Catherine University
OccupationOpera singer

Helen Vanni (née Spaeth; January 30, 1924 – March 5, 2023) was an American opera singer who performed mezzo-soprano and soprano roles.

Early life[edit]

Helen Spaeth was born on January 30, 1924, to German parents, in Davenport, Iowa, where she studied piano and voice before attending college at St. Catherine University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[1][2]

Career[edit]

Vanni made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1956 in the role of the page in Rigoletto, and she appeared in over 400 performances at the Met from 1956 to 1970. She shared the stage with notable singers such as Leontyne Price, Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas, Jussi Björling, Richard Tucker, Victoria de los Ángeles, and Licia Albanese.[1][3][4][5][6]

In addition to supporting roles, she appeared in leading and featured roles at the Met including Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte (opposite Leontyne Price as Fiordiligi), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier.[7][8][6][9]

One of Vanni’s more unusual experiences onstage at the Met was the performance of Madama Butterfly on December 5, 1961, when famed diva Galina Vishnevskaya sang one performance as Cio-Cio-San in Russian while everyone else in the cast sang in Italian.[8]

Vanni performed regularly with the Santa Fe Opera from 1960 through 1977.[10] In her debut Santa Fe Opera season she sang three leading roles: Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, the title role in Rossini's La Cenerentola, and Tessa in The Gondoliers.[11]

Vanni’s appearances at the Santa Fe Opera spanned 14 seasons, from 1960 to 1976, where she sang 18 different roles in 28 productions. Her performance history there included both leading mezzo and soprano roles in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (Octavian in 1961 and the Marschallin in 1968) and The Marriage of Figaro (Cherubino in 1960, 1961, 1965, and 1967 and the Countess in 1970, 1973, and 1976).[12][13] She also sang the leading soprano role of Alice Ford in Falstaff in Santa Fe in 1975.[14]

Roles at the San Francisco Opera included the title role in the rarely performed Mignon by Ambroise Thomas.[15] Notably, she sang the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos in 23 performances at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1971–72.[16] She also sang the Countess in Capriccio for the New York City Opera in 1969.[17]

In addition to her performing career, she taught at the Manhattan School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was head of the voice faculty.[11][18] Notable recordings include music of Arnold Schoenberg with pianist Glenn Gould; Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy; and Mendelssohn's incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Leinsdorf.[19][20][21]

Personal life and death[edit]

Helen Vanni was married to Mario Vanni, who died in 2015. They had three children. Vanni and her family lived in New Jersey until moving to Santa Fe full-time after her retirement from the stage in 1977. Vanni died on March 5, 2023, at the age of 99.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Villecco, Tony. "Helen Vanni: The Met's Invaluable Trouper". CS Music. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ^ Mullowney, Michelle. "St. Kate's Alumna Forged Impressive Opera Career". St. Catherine University. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Madama Butterfly {408} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/19/1960". Metropolitan Opera Archives. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Madama Butterfly {415} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/3/1961". Metropolitan Opera Archives. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  5. ^ "La traviata". Metropolitan Opera Archives.
  6. ^ a b Strongin, Theodore (February 27, 1965). ""Helen Vanni Bows in Cosi Fan Tutte"". New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Helen Vanni". Oberon's Grove. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  8. ^ a b Ericson, Raymond (December 6, 1961). ""Miss Vishnevskaya in Bilingual Opera"". New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  9. ^ Ericson, Raymond. ""Helen Vanni Sings Met's Marschallin"". New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Helen Vanni Obituary". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. ^ a b Tiarks, Mark. "Former Santa Fe Opera performer remembered as 'warm, gracious'". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  12. ^ "High Notes: Fifty years of paradox and possibilities at the Santa Fe Opera". Santa Fe Reporter. June 28, 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ Marineau, Susan. "In Memoriam: Helen Vanni". Santa Fe New Mexican (Legacy.com). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ^ Pincus, Robert (August 11, 1975). ""'Falstaff' fault: It lacks style"". San Antonio Express. newspapers.com. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  15. ^ "San Francisco Opera archive: Helen Vanni". San Francisco Opera archive. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  16. ^ "The Opera Archive". Glyndebourne. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  17. ^ ""Strauss 'Capriccio' Listed for Sept. 25 by the City Opera"" (PDF). New York Times. September 14, 1969. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  18. ^ Ericson, Raymond (August 19, 1973). "Olympics, No! Symphony, Yes!". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  19. ^ The Music of Arnold Schoenberg, Volume 4 at Discogs
  20. ^ Anton Bruckner, Bruckner Symphony No. 5 at Discogs
  21. ^ Mendelssohn, Boston Symphony Orchestra / Erich Leinsdorf, Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream at Discogs (list of releases)
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