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Ardis Joan Krainik
Ardis Joan Krainik (March 8, 1929 – January 18, 1997) was an American mezzo-soprano opera singer who was the general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago for 15 years. Background Krainik was born and raised in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the daughter of businessman Arthur Krainik, of Czechs, Czech origins, and Clara Bracken Krainik, a native of Chicago and the daughter of an immigrant Norwegian people, Norwegian family. She had an older sister, Elizabeth, and never married. Her Norwegian great-grandfather, Martin Brækkan, had been an oboist with a military band in his native Trondheim. She attended the public schools of Manitowoc and graduated from Northwestern University's School of Speech (B.S., 1951) intending to become a teacher. It was at Northwestern that she was encouraged to pursue a career in voice. Northwestern awarded her the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in 1984. Career Following her graduation from college, Krainik took a job as a clerk-typist with the L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above (i.e. A3–A5 in scientific pitch notation, where middle C = C4; 220–880 Hz). In the lower and upper extremes, some mezzo-sopranos may extend down to the F below middle C (F3, 175 Hz) and as high as "high C" (C6, 1047 Hz). The mezzo-soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, lyric, and dramatic mezzo-soprano. History While mezzo-sopranos typically sing secondary roles in operas, notable exceptions include the title role in Bizet's '' Carmen'', Angelina (Cinderella) in Rossini's ''La Cenerentola'', and Rosina in Rossini's ''Barber of Seville'' (all of which are also sung by sopranos and contraltos). Many 19th-century French-language operas give the leading female role to mezzos, includin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
