Teresa Żylis-Gara
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Teresa Żylis-Gara (born January 23, 1930 in Landwarów, Second Polish Republic, now Lentvaris in Lithuania) is a Polish operatic soprano who had an major international career during the 1950s through the 1990s. Although chiefly known for her portrayals in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, and Giuseppe Verdi, she sang a broad repertoire that encompassed a wide array of musical periods and languages. In addition to her work on the stage, she has been active as a concert singer and recitalist; particularly admired for her interpretations of the works of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Brahms.[1]
[edit] Biography
Żylis-Gara studied for nine years at the Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Muzyczna in Łódź under Olga Ogina. In 1954 she won first prize at the Polish Young Vocalists Contest in Warsaw which led to engagements to sing on the Polish National Radio and to perform as a soloist with the Kraków Philharmonic. In 1956 she made her professional opera debut with Opera Krakowska as the eponymous character in Stanisław Moniuszko's Halka. She returned there the following year to portray the title role in a lauded production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly.[1]
In 1958 Żylis-Gara won 2nd prize at the Concours of Toulouse and in 1960 she won 3rd prize at the International Music Contest in Munich. The latter competition win led to her engagement at the opera house in Oberhausen and from this moment on her career was largely centered in Germany for the next decade. She continued her voice training in Germany with studies under Dietger Jacob. She was offered a long term contract with the Dortmund opera house in 1962, singing there for the next three years. In 1965 she joined the roster of principal singers at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf where she sang through 1970, and then later returned often as a guest artist. She also appeared as a freelance artist with the Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt, the Hamburg State Opera, the Oper der Stadt Köln, the Bavarian State Opera, and the Vienna State Opera during the 1960s and 1970s.[1]
In the mid 1960s Żylis-Gara began to become a major presence on the international stage, beginning in 1965 with her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. She later returned to that festival in 1967 to sing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. In 1966 she performed for the first time at the Palais Garnier in Paris which led to a contract with the Opéra National de Paris through 1969. The year 1968 proved to be a banner year for Żylis-Gara. She made her Royal Opera, London debut as Violetta in La traviata and sang Donna Elvira for her debuts at the Salzburg Festival in the summer, the San Francisco Opera on November 8 and her Metropolitan Opera debut on December 17.[1]
Rudolf Bing, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, was highly impressed with Żylis-Gara's debut performance and offered her a long term contract with the company beginning in January 1970 with the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute. She remained on the Met roster for the next 14 seasons, portraying such roles as Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, Cio-Cio-San, Desdemona in Otello, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Elsa in Lohengrin, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Leonora in Il trovatore, Liù in Turandot, Marguerite in Faust, Mimì in La Bohème, Octavian, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Violetta, and the title roles in Adriana Lecouvreur, Suor Angelica, and Tosca. Her final and 233rd performance at the Met was in the title role of Manon Lescaut on March 31, 1984 with Vasile Moldoveanu as Des Grieux, Allan Monk as Lescaut, and Nello Santi conducting.[2]
In 1970s Żylis-Gara continued to work as a freelance artist while the Met was her principal home. She was particularly active at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Vienna State Opera. She sang annually at the Royal Opera, London from 1976-1980. She was also a soloist at La Scala in Milan, Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. She also performed in operas in Vienna, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Miami.[1]
She was made a doctor honoris causa of Karol Lipiński University of Music in 2003. She currently resides in Monaco.[1]
[edit] References
- "Żylis-Gara Teresa". Internetowa encyklopedia PWN. http://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo.php?id=4003315. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- "Żylis-Gara Teresa". WIEM Encyclopedia. http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/73426,,,,zylis_gara_teresa,haslo.html. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
