Luana DeVol (born November 30, 1942 in San Mateo, California) is 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 ...

tic

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 ...

who made her

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

debut as Ortrud in April 2006 in Wagner's ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which fi ...

''. The production was broadcast internationally on April 29, 2006. She was named "Singer of the Year" in 1997 and 2000 by the German opera magazine ''

Opernwelt ''Opernwelt'' (''Opera World'') is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet. It includes news about current performances, portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera houses, performance spaces, and contemporary and ...

''.

Early life and education

DeVol graduated from

Capuchino High School Capuchino High School is a public high school in San Bruno, California, United States. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District, a division of the San Mateo County Office of Education. Capuchino's rival is Mi ...

San Bruno, California San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to S ...

, where she grew up, and attended the

College of San Mateo College of San Mateo (CSM) is a public community college in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo County Community College District. College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 15 ...

in San Mateo. She had a featured role in a production of ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...

'' by Gilbert and Sullivan, the very first performances by the San Mateo Community Theatre, in the summer of 1963.

Career

Since the mid-1980s, DeVol has sung primarily in Europe and has enjoyed success in the German repertoire. She was a featured soloist with the

Masterworks Chorale Masterworks Chorale is a choral ensemble based in San Mateo, California. About Masterworks Chorale Masterworks Chorale is one of the oldest choruses in Northern California. Founded in 1964Whitson, Helene. "SFBA Choral Archive: Chorus History." A ...

in San Mateo under the direction of Galen Marshall, and sang in a great variety of choral works, especially by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

. DeVol appeared with the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...

and the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...

. She moved to Germany in 1984 to further pursue her career, giving numerous operatic performances there. DeVol has been featured on recordings released by the Bayer Music Group.''Portrait'', Vol. 2 (Beethoven, Weber, Marschner, Wagner)
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devol, Luana 1942 births Living people American operatic sopranos College of San Mateo alumni People from San Mateo, California Singers from California Classical musicians from California 21st-century American women