Muriel Costa-Greenspon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Muriel Costa-Greenspon
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| Born |
Muriel Salina Greenspon
December 1, 1937 |
| Died | December 26, 2005 (aged 68) New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Singer |
Muriel Salina Costa-Greenspon (born Greenspon; December 1, 1937 – December 26, 2005) was an American opera singer. She was a mezzo-soprano, which means she had a deep, rich female singing voice. Muriel Costa-Greenspon had a very long and successful career at the New York City Opera from 1963 to 1993.
She was known for playing many different kinds of characters in operas. These roles ranged from modern works by composers like Leonard Bernstein and Benjamin Britten, to classic comic roles by Puccini, Mozart, and Donizetti. She also sang in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Contents
About Muriel Costa-Greenspon's Life
Early Life and Education
Muriel Salina Greenspon was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents, Edward and Ruth Greenspon, were deaf. She went to Cass Technical High School. Later, she studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. There, she earned both her bachelor's (1959) and master's (1960) degrees in singing. She learned voice from Joseph Blatt at the university and later from Sam Morgenstern in New York City.
Starting Her Opera Career
Muriel Costa-Greenspon made her first professional appearance in 1960. This was with the Detroit Grand Opera Association at the Detroit Opera House. She played the role of Miss Todd in the opera The Old Maid and the Thief. Over the next ten years, she sang with many different opera companies across the United States. These included the Baltimore Opera Company, the Opera Company of Boston, and the Houston Grand Opera.
Her Time at New York City Opera
In 1963, Muriel Costa-Greenspon joined the New York City Opera. She started by playing Olga Olsen in Kurt Weill's Street Scene. During her time with the company, she performed in a total of forty-five different roles!
She was part of some very important productions in the 1960s and 1970s. For example, she sang Flora Bervoix in La traviata and Amelfa in Le coq d'or. She also played Marthe in Faust. In these shows, she often performed alongside famous singers like Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle.
Her roles also included Geneviève in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and Dame Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff. In 1982, she was seen on TV when the City Opera showed their production of Candide on PBS.
New and Important Roles
Muriel Costa-Greenspon also took on important roles in new operas. She performed in the first American showings of Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel (1965) and von Einem's Dantons Tod (1966). She also sang in the world premiere of Hoiby's Natalia Petrovna in 1964. She was praised for her role as Katisha in The Mikado, where she showed both a threatening and a sad side. Her very last performance with the company was in 1993, as Grand Duchess Anastasia in The Student Prince.
Performances Outside NYCO
Even while working with the New York City Opera, she sometimes traveled to perform with other companies. In 1970, she sang Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera in New Orleans. There, she performed with the famous singer Plácido Domingo. That same year, she made her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also sang in the world premiere of Gunther Schuller's The Fisherman and His Wife.
In 1973, she sang in La fille du régiment in Philadelphia with Beverly Sills. Another special performance that year was in The Medium in Detroit. Muriel Costa-Greenspon played Madame Flora, and the actor Sal Mineo directed and played the silent character, Toby. The composer, Menotti, admired her so much that he invited her to sing Madame Flora at the Spoleto Festival in 1975.
Lottery Win and Retirement
In 1983, Muriel Costa-Greenspon and her husband, Giorgio Costa, won $1.7 million in the state lottery! Giorgio was a carpenter for the Metropolitan Opera. Even with these winnings, she did not stop singing. She continued to perform with the City Opera until 1993, when she retired from singing. In 1995, she made her only appearance at the Metropolitan Opera. She played the Duchesse of Krakentorp, a speaking role, in La fille du régiment.
Later Years and Death
After she retired from the stage, Muriel Costa-Greenspon taught at the famous Bronx High School of Science. She passed away on December 26, 2005, in New York City, at the age of 68. Her son, Stefano Costa, and her husband, Giorgio, were her immediate family who survived her.
Videography
- Donizetti: La fille du régiment (Sills, McDonald, Malas; Wendelken-Wilson, Mansouri, 1974; live, VAI)
