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Roberta Alexander (1976)
Roberta Alexander in 1976

Roberta Alexander (born March 3, 1949) is a famous American opera singer. She is a soprano, which means she sings the highest female vocal parts. Roberta Alexander started her career in 1975. For over 30 years, she sang main roles in opera houses all over the world.

She is especially known for singing roles created by the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From 1983 to 1991, she was a top soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Some of her famous Mozart roles include Countess Almaviva, Elettra, Fiordiligi, and Donna Elvira. She also had great success playing Mimì in Puccini's La bohème and the main character in Janáček's Jenůfa. More recently, she has sung smaller, supporting roles in operas.

Life and Music Career

Roberta Alexander was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. Her parents both studied music at Virginia State University. Her mother was also a soprano singer, and her father led choirs. When Roberta was two, her family moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she grew up. Her father directed choirs at Wilberforce University.

Roberta studied music at several places:

She moved to the Netherlands when she was 23 years old. In 1975, she made her first appearance at the Dutch National Opera. That same year, she helped create the role of Bubikopf in the very first performance of Viktor Ullmann's Der Kaiser von Atlantis. She also sang other early roles there, like Princess Ninetta in Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges.

Roberta Alexander also sang Mozart roles at the Berlin State Opera and the Zürich Opera. These roles included Fiordiligi, Elettra, and Countess Almaviva.

Singing in America

In 1980, Roberta Alexander first performed in the United States. She sang Pamina in The Magic Flute with the Houston Grand Opera. That same year, she made her debut at the San Francisco Opera. She also sang the main role in Strauss's Daphne with the Santa Fe Opera in 1981.

Her first performance at the famous Metropolitan Opera was in 1983. She sang Zerlina in Don Giovanni. She returned to the Met many times for other important roles:

  • Bess in Porgy and Bess (1985)
  • The main role in Jenůfa (1985, 1986)
  • Mimì in La bohème (1987)
  • Countess Almaviva (1988, 1989)
  • Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (1990)

International Performances

In 1982, Roberta Alexander sang Puccini's Mimì for the first time at the Komische Oper Berlin. She sang this role again for her first performances at The Royal Opera in London (1984) and the English National Opera (1992).

In 1985, she began performing at the Theater an der Wien as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare. She also sang Donna Elvira for her first time at the Vienna State Opera in 1986. In 1989, she gave a highly praised performance of the main role in Jenůfa at the Glyndebourne Festival. She returned there in 1995.

Roberta Alexander has performed with many famous orchestras, including:

She has worked with many well-known conductors, such as Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, and Sir Simon Rattle.

Selected Recordings

Roberta Alexander has made many recordings throughout her career. She has recorded for labels like Etcetera Records and Philips. Her recordings include:

She has also recorded many song collections, called recitals. These include songs by composers like Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Richard Strauss, and Charles Ives.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Roberta Alexander para niños

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