Lili Chookasian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lili Chookasian
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| Born | August 1, 1921 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | April 9, 2012 (aged 90) Branford, Connecticut. U.S.
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| Occupation | Singer (contralto), Metropolitan Opera (1962-1986); Professor, Northwestern University, Yale School of Music |
| Spouse(s) | George Gavejian (married 1941-1987) |
| Children | 3 |
Lili Chookasian (August 1, 1921 – April 9, 2012) was an American singer with a deep voice, called a contralto. She was of Armenian background. Lili sang with many of the world's biggest symphony orchestras and opera houses.
She started her singing career in the 1940s by performing in concerts. However, she became more famous when she began singing opera in her late thirties. During the 1960s and 1970s, she was one of the best contralto singers in the world. She had a long and celebrated career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1962 to 1986. People admired her clear, strong voice and her excellent musical skills.
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Early Life and First Concerts
Lili Chookasian was born in Chicago in 1921. She was the youngest of three children. Her parents had moved to the United States from Armenia after the Armenian genocide in 1915. This terrible event took the lives of some of her grandparents and other family members.
Lili's first language was Armenian because her parents spoke it at home. She learned to speak English well by going to school as a child.
Discovering Her Voice
Lili first got involved with music by singing in local churches. She also sang in musical shows at her high school. She played the role of Buttercup in her school's production of H.M.S. Pinafore.
After high school, she began to study singing seriously. She took lessons for almost twenty years with her teachers, Philip Manuel and Gavin Williamson. In her late teens, she started earning money by singing for churches and on the radio.
In 1941, when she was twenty, she married George Gavejian. He was a friend of her older brother. They had a very happy marriage that lasted for 46 years. George passed away in 1987. They had children and grandchildren together.
Early Professional Singing
Lili Chookasian started performing professionally in the 1940s. She sang oratorios (large musical works for orchestra, choir, and soloists) and concert pieces. Most of her performances were in Chicago, but sometimes she sang in other cities too.
A big moment in her early concert career happened in January 1955. The famous conductor Bruno Walter chose her as the contralto soloist for Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection". She performed this with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Around this time, she also taught singing at Northwestern University.
In 1956, Lili faced a serious health challenge. With the support of her family, she bravely fought her illness and recovered.
Starting Her Opera Career
Lili Chookasian did not make her first opera appearance until 1959, when she was 38 years old. She debuted as Adalgisa in Bellini's Norma with the Arkansas State Opera.
How She Was Discovered
Edward McGuire, who founded the Arkansas State Opera, offered her the part. A soprano singer named Barbara Stevenson had recommended Lili. Stevenson gave McGuire a recording of a performance she had sung with Lili. After hearing Lili's voice, McGuire knew he wanted her for the role.
Lili's first opera performance was a great success. A recording of this performance was given to conductor Thomas Schippers the next summer. Schippers was amazed by Lili's voice.
Two years later, Schippers wanted "that amazing Adalgisa from Arkansas" for a concert. He needed her for Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky with the New York Philharmonic. He couldn't remember her name at first. He eventually found out she was working with the Baltimore Opera Company and studying with the famous singer Rosa Ponselle.
Lili had spent a year studying with Ponselle. She had also performed her second opera role, Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore, in 1960. Schippers contacted Lili for an audition. After hearing her, she was immediately hired for her New York Philharmonic debut in early 1961.
European Debut and Big Decisions
Soon after her New York debut, Lili was offered a contract with the Metropolitan Opera. However, she turned it down at first. She was worried it would take too much time away from her family.
In the summer of 1961, she performed in Europe for the first time. She sang in Alexander Nevsky again and made her European opera debut as Herodias in Salome. She also gave a praised performance of Mahler's Kindertotenlieder.
In November 1961, after finishing performances of Aida, Lili faced another health challenge. She recovered quickly and was ready to continue her career.
Years at the Metropolitan Opera
After returning to the United States, Lili Chookasian was asked again to join the Metropolitan Opera. This time, she agreed. She made her debut with the company on March 9, 1962. She sang the role of La Cieca in Ponchielli's La Gioconda.
The audience and critics loved her performance. One critic wrote that she would have a "splendid career." This was the start of her more than two-decade-long career at the Met. During this time, she also received private coaching from Armen Boyajian.
Her Many Roles
During her 24 years with the Metropolitan Opera, Lili Chookasian sang many important roles. She also performed several smaller parts. Some of her famous roles included:
- Adalgisa in Norma
- Amneris in Aida
- Azucena in Il trovatore
- Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried
- Mistress Quickly in Falstaff
- Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
- The Witch in Hansel and Gretel
She also sang the role of Maharanee in the first United States performance of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Last Savage.
Singing with the Stars
During her time at the Met, Lili Chookasian sang with many famous singers. These included Plácido Domingo, Birgit Nilsson, Leontyne Price, Joan Sutherland, and Renata Tebaldi.
In 1984, she became unwell during a performance. After this, her singing career slowed down a bit. Her last performance at the Met was on February 17, 1986. She sang Gertrude in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. This was her 290th performance with the company and her farewell to the opera stage.
Beyond the Met
Even though the Met was her main home, Lili Chookasian also continued to perform in concerts. She sang in opera houses in both the United States and Europe. She became one of the leading contraltos on the international stage during the 1960s and 1970s.
She sang under many great conductors, such as Leonard Bernstein, James Levine, and Herbert von Karajan. She performed with famous orchestras like the Philadelphia Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.
She was especially admired for her performances in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Verdi's Requiem. She once said about the Requiem, "Every note... seemed written for my throat." She made many recordings, including Das Lied von der Erde and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
International Performances
Lili Chookasian returned to the Spoleto Festival in 1962. In 1963, she sang in her first of several appearances at the New York City Opera. She made her first appearance at the Bayreuth festival in 1965, singing three of her Wagner roles.
She also performed with the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Zurich Opera. She often brought her husband with her when she traveled.
One of her most memorable trips was to Yerevan, Armenia. She was invited to perform in two productions in her honor: Amneris in Aida and the Armenian opera Arshak II.
Later Life and Legacy
After she retired from the stage in 1986, Lili Chookasian joined the voice faculty at Yale University's School of Music. She taught at Yale and lived in Branford, Connecticut. In 2002, she received Yale's Sanford Medal.
Lili Chookasian passed away at her home in Branford in 2012, at the age of 90.
