Sena Jurinac facts for kids
Srebrenka "Sena" Jurinac (born October 24, 1921 – died November 22, 2011) was a famous opera singer. She was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but became a Croatian-Austrian soprano. A soprano is a female singer with a high voice. Sena Jurinac was known for her beautiful voice and powerful performances on stage.
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Sena Jurinac's Early Life and Training
Sena Jurinac was born in Travnik, a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her father was a Croatian doctor, and her mother was from Vienna, Austria.
Sena loved music and studied at the Zagreb Academy of Music. She also learned from a teacher named Milka Kostrenčić. Sena's voice was quite special. It was right between a soprano (high female voice) and a mezzo-soprano (a slightly lower female voice). This meant she could sing many different kinds of roles in operas.
Her Amazing Opera Roles
Sena Jurinac sang in many famous operas. She often played more than one main role in the same opera! For example, in The Marriage of Figaro, she could sing both Cherubino and the Countess. In The Magic Flute, she was Pamina. She also played Mimi in La bohème, Butterfly in Madama Butterfly, and Tosca in Tosca.
Some other important roles she sang included:
- Elisabeth in Tannhäuser
- Ilia in Idomeneo
- Marie in Wozzeck
- Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier
Starting Her Career
Sena Jurinac first sang on stage in 1942 in Zagreb. Her very first role was Mimi in the opera La bohème. She quickly became popular.
In 1944, the famous Vienna State Opera invited her to join their company. This is where she got her nickname "Sena." The conductor's secretary suggested it because her full name, Srebrenka, was hard for many Austrians to say.
Because of World War II, the opera house closed soon after she arrived. Sena couldn't sing there until 1946. Her first role at the Vienna State Opera was Cherubino. In her first year, she performed in over 150 shows! She stayed with the company for almost 40 years. They even gave her an honorary membership and the special title of Kammersängerin, which means "Chamber Singer."
International Success
Sena Jurinac became very well-known around the world.
- In 1947, she sang at Covent Garden in London.
- She also performed at the famous Salzburg Festival in Austria.
- She sang at La Scala in Italy, which is one of the most famous opera houses in the world.
Sena was part of a group called the "Wiener Ensemble" (Vienna Ensemble). This group included other amazing singers like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Christa Ludwig.
In 1951, she recorded Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. This was a big deal because another famous singer, Kirsten Flagstad, had just sung them for the first time.
Sena often visited England. From 1951 to 1956, she sang many main roles by the composer Mozart at the Glyndebourne Festival. She also regularly performed at Covent Garden between 1959 and 1963.
Her first time singing in America was in 1959. She played the main role in Madama Butterfly in San Francisco. You can even see her as Octavian in a film of the opera Der Rosenkavalier.
Sena Jurinac's last opera performance was in November 1982. She sang the role of the Marschallin at the Vienna State Opera. Even after that, she continued to give concerts and teach young singers. She also helped judge international singing competitions.
Personal Life
Sena Jurinac was married two times. Her first marriage was to Italian singer Sesto Bruscantini from 1953 to 1956. Later, in 1965, she married Josef Lederle. They were married until he passed away in 2005. Sena Jurinac did not have any children.
Awards and Honors
Sena Jurinac received many important awards for her contributions to music:
- 1961: Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
- 1967: Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
- 1968: Honorary Ring of the Vienna State Opera
- 1971: Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera
See also
In Spanish: Sena Jurinac para niños
