Frederica Von Stade - Biography

Biography

She was 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 Le nozze di 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." Cherubino remained her most celebrated signature role, which she sang at her European debut in Versailles 1973, which was the starting point of her great international career. After a hiatus of six years she returned to the Met in 1982 and remained a pillar of the ensemble, higly appreciated by critics and loved by the public in such roles as Idamante in Idomeneo, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, Blanche in Dialogues des Carmélites, Cherubino, Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande, Charlotte in Werther and Hanna Glawary in The Merry Widow. Her last appearance on the Met Stage was in a Gala Concert honouring Joseph Volpe on May 20th, 2006.

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 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.

Contemporary Composers, including Dominick Argento, Jake Heggie, Conrad Susa 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 in 1988. She has also recorded other works by Argento. Susa wrote for her the role of the "Marquise de Merteuil" in his opera Dangerous Liaisons, which premiered at the San Francisco Opera on September 10th, 1994. 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 opera Last Acts, a part which the composer Jake Heggie had specially written for her. She gave her farewell performance on the opera stage in Heggie's Dead Man Walking at Houston Grand Opera on February 6th, 2011 as "Mrs. Patrick de Rocher", a part also written for her.

On January 19, 1985, she sang at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan. She was introduced by Tony Randall. She sang an aria from Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer.

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.