Kathleen Ann Cassello (August 3, 1958,

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

– April 12, 2017,

Munich, Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

) was an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer. Cassello originally trained to be a nurse, and earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in nursing from the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

in 1980. She practiced nursing from 1980 to 1984. Separately, she privately studied music with vocal teachers Dan Pressley and Nancy Gamble Pressley, from 1980 to 1984. She later studied in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

with Wilma Lipp and

Sesto Bruscantini Sesto Bruscantini (10 December 1919 – 4 May 2003) was an Italian baritone, one of the greatest buffo singers of the post-war era, especially renowned in Mozart and Rossini. Biography and career Bruscantini was born in Civitanova Marche, Marche, ...

. Over the period of 1984–1985, Cassello won several singing competitions, in Porto, Vercelli and Barcelona. Cassello won first prize in the Salzburg

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

competition in 1985. She subsequently sang regularly with the Salzburg Landestheater, over the period 1986–1987. From 1987 to 1990, Cassello was a regular featured artist with the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. Cassello made her American role debut in 1996 as Donna Anna with the

Dallas Opera The Dallas Opera is an American opera company located in Dallas, Texas. The company performs at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, one venue of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. History The company was founded in 1957 as the Dallas Civic ...

. In the late 1990s, Cassello toured with

Kallen Esperian Kallen Esperian (born June 8, 1961) is an American lyric soprano. She won the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition in 1985 and is best known for her performances in major opera productions. History Kallen Esperian was born on June ...

and Cynthia Lawrence as 'The Three Sopranos'. Cassello is featured on a commercial video recording of 'The Three Sopranos', and also in the documentary 'La Traviata - Love & Sacrifice'. Cassello was married to the Italian baritone Renato Girolami. She died in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, Germany on April 12, 2017, aged 58, from undisclosed causes.Kathleen Cassello biography
bach-cantatas.com; accessed April 25, 2017.

References

Sources

Interview with Karen Lotter on 'Sopranos', accessed 28 January 2010

'Amerikaanse sopraan Kathleen Cassello overleden (58)'. Opera Nederland blog, 14 April 2017

Francisco Salazar, 'Obituary: Kathleen Cassello Passes Away At 58'. Opera Word website, 14 April 2017

Charles Arden, 'Disparition de l'une des "3 sopranos": Kathleen Cassello'. Ôlyrix website, 14 April 2017
1958 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware American operatic sopranos Singers from Delaware 20th-century American women opera singers University of Delaware alumni 21st-century American women opera singers Classical musicians from Delaware {{US-opera-singer-stub