Helen Vanni ( Spaeth; January 30, 1924 – March 5, 2023) was an American opera singer who performed

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 ...

and

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

roles.

Early life

Helen Spaeth was born on January 30, 1924, to German parents, in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, where she studied piano and voice before attending college at

St. Catherine University St. Catherine University (St. Kate's) is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. C ...

in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Career

Vanni made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1956 in the role of the page in '' Rigoletto'', and she appeared in over 400 performances at the Met from 1956 to 1970. She shared the stage with notable singers such as Leontyne Price,

Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi ( , ; 1 February 1922 – 19 December 2004) was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-war period, and especially prominent as one of the stars of La Scala, San Carlo and, especially, the Metropolitan Opera. O ...

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

, Jussi Björling, Richard Tucker, Victoria de los Ángeles, and Licia Albanese. In addition to supporting roles, she appeared in leading and featured roles at the Met including Suzuki in ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'', Rosina in '' Il Barbiere di Siviglia'', Dorabella in '' Cosi fan tutte'' (opposite Leontyne Price as Fiordiligi), Donna Elvira in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', and as the Marschallin in '' Der Rosenkavalier''. One of Vanni’s more unusual experiences onstage at the Met was the performance of ''

'' on December 5, 1961, when famed diva Galina Vishnevskaya sang one performance as Cio-Cio-San in Russian while everyone else in the cast sang in Italian. Vanni performed regularly with the Santa Fe Opera from 1960 through 1977. In her debut Santa Fe Opera season she sang three leading roles: Cherubino in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'', the title role in Rossini's '' La Cenerentola'', and Tessa in '' The Gondoliers''. Vanni’s appearances at the Santa Fe Opera spanned 14 seasons, from 1960 to 1976, where she sang 18 different roles in 28 productions. Her performance history there included both leading mezzo and soprano roles in Strauss’s '' Der Rosenkavalier'' (Octavian in 1961 and the Marschallin in 1968) and ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (Cherubino in 1960, 1961, 1965, and 1967 and the Countess in 1970, 1973, and 1976). She also sang the leading soprano role of Alice Ford in '' Falstaff'' in Santa Fe in 1975. Roles at the San Francisco Opera included the title role in the rarely performed '' Mignon'' by Ambroise Thomas. Notably, she sang the title role in '' Ariadne auf Naxos'' in 23 performances at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1971–72. She also sang the Countess in Capriccio for the New York City Opera in 1969. In addition to her performing career, she taught at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was head of the voice faculty. Notable recordings include music of

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

with pianist Glenn Gould;

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...

's Symphony No. 5 with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

conducted by Eugene Ormandy; and Mendelssohn's incidental music to ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

conducted by Erich Leinsdorf.

Personal life and death

Helen Vanni was married to Mario Vanni, who died in 2015. They had three children. Vanni and her family lived in New Jersey until moving to Santa Fe full-time after her retirement from the stage in 1977. Vanni died on March 5, 2023, at the age of 99.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanni, Helen 1924 births 2023 deaths American operatic mezzo-sopranos American operatic sopranos Metropolitan Opera people People from Davenport, Iowa Singers from Iowa St. Catherine University alumni