Susanne Marsee (born Susan Irene Dowell; November 26, 1941,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

) is an American mezzo-soprano of note, particularly acclaimed as a singing-actress. Her principal teacher was

Nadine Conner Nadine Conner (born Evelyn Nadine Henderson; February 20, 1907 - March 1, 2003) was an American operatic soprano, radio singer and music teacher. Early years She was born in Compton, California as Evelyn Nadine Henderson, and was the descendan ...

, and her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, and advanced studies at the American Opera Center of

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. She is of Greek, English, and French heritage.

New York City Opera

Raised in

Westchester, California Westchester is a neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles and the Westside Region of Los Angeles County, California. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport, Loyola Marymount University, Otis College of Art and Design, and Westchester E ...

, Marsee was the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

's leading mezzo-soprano from 1970, when she debuted as Sara, Duchess of Nottingham, opposite

Beverly Sills Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was especially renowned f ...

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

, and

Louis Quilico Louis Quilico, (January 14, 1925 – July 15, 2000) was a Canadian opera singer. One of the leading dramatic baritones of his day, he was an ideal interpreter of the great Italian and French composers, especially Giuseppe Verdi. He was ofte ...

, in Donizetti's ''Roberto Devereux'', with

Julius Rudel Julius Rudel (6 March 1921 – 26 June 2014) was an Austrian-born American opera and orchestra conductor. He was born in Vienna and was a student at the city's Academy of Music. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 17 in 1938 after ...

conducting

Tito Capobianco Tito Capobianco (28 August 1931 – 8 September 2018) was an Argentine American stage director and general manager of several opera companies. Early life Capobianco was born in La Plata, Argentina. His parents had fled from Fascist Italy in 1928 ...

's production. She proceeded to sing a great gallery of roles at the City Opera, including Siébel in ''Faust'', Angelina in ''La Cenerentola'', Rosina in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', Sesto in ''Giulio Cesare'', Cherubino in ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (opposite Michael Devlin), Nicklausse in ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (with Sills and

Norman Treigle Norman Treigle (né Adanelle Wilfred Treigle (March 6, 1927February 16, 1975) was an American operatic bass-baritone, who was acclaimed for his great abilities as a singing-actor, and specialized in roles that evoked villainy and terror. Biograp ...

), Dorabella in ''Così fan tutte'' (with Patricia Brooks), Octavian in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' (with Johanna Meier), Maddalena in ''Rigoletto'' (opposite José Carreras), Giovanna Seymour in ''Anna Bolena'', the Composer in ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' (with

Carol Neblett Carol Lee Neblett (February 1, 1946 – November 23, 2017) was an American operatic soprano. Life and career Neblett was born in Modesto, California and raised in Redondo Beach. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1969 ...

), Maffio Orsini in ''Lucrezia Borgia'' (with Sills), the title role of ''La belle Hélène'', Zaida in ''Il turco in Italia'', Estella Drummle in the world premiere of '' Miss Havisham's Fire'' (with

Rita Shane Rita Shane (August 15, 1936 – October 9, 2014) was an American coloratura soprano. Biography Born in the Bronx to Julius J. Shane and Rebekah (née Milner) Shane, Rita Shane studied at Barnard College and privately with voice teachers Beverly P ...

), Doña Manuela in ''La loca'', Mariana in the world premiere of ''The Student from Salamanca'', Sesto in ''La clemenza di Tito'', Néris in the Italian version of ''Médée'' (with Marisa Galvany), the name part in ''Carmen'' (in

Frank Corsaro Frank Corsaro (December 22, 1924, New York City, New York – November 11, 2017, Suwanee, GeorgiaRobert ViagasNight of the Iguana Director Frank Corsaro Is Dead at 92/ref>) was one of America's foremost stage directors of opera and theatre. His Bro ...

's production), the title role of ''La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'', Prince Charmant in ''Cendrillon'', Mallika in ''Lakmé'', Bellino in ''Casanova's Homecoming'', Adalgisa in ''Norma'', Dulcinée in ''Don Quichotte'', Charlotte in ''Werther'' (with Jon Garrison), Valencienne in ''Die lustige Witwe'', Marcellina in ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (with Herbert Perry as Figaro), Suzuki in ''Madama Butterfly'', La chatte in ''L'enfant et les sortilèges'', Berta in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', Rose in the world premiere of ''Marilyn'', and Marta in ''Mefistofele'', as well as musical comedy.

United States

She appeared with companies in Baton Rouge (Giulietta in ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'', with Paul Groves), Boston (Rosina in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' for Opera New England, and Maddalena in ''Rigoletto'' for Boston Opera Group, both directed by

Sarah Caldwell Sarah Caldwell (March 6, 1924March 23, 2006) was an American opera conductor, impresario, and stage director. Early life Caldwell was born in Maryville, Missouri, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She was a child prodigy and gave publ ...

), Cincinnati (''Rigoletto'' and ''Roberto Devereux''), Columbus (Prince Orlovsky in ''Die Fledermaus'', and Marcellina in ''Le nozze di Figaro''), Connecticut (Hänsel in ''Hänsel und Gretel''; Dinah in ''Trouble in Tahiti''; and Nicklausse in ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'', opposite

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, known professionally as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made h ...

), Fort Worth (Cherubino), Houston (Preziosilla in ''La forza del destino''), Memphis (''Ariadne auf Naxos''), Michigan (title role in ''The Maid of Orléans''), Milwaukee (Laura in ''La Gioconda'', with

Gilda Cruz-Romo Gilda Cruz-Romo (née Gilda Cruz, born February 12, 1940) is a Mexican operatic soprano, particularly associated with dramatic roles of the Italian repertory, notably ''Aida'' and ''Tosca''. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, she studied at the Me ...

and

Harry Theyard Harry Theyard (né Harry L. Theard, Jr, on 28 September 1929, in New Orleans) is an American operatic tenor. Theyard is a 1957 graduate of Loyola University of the South, where he studied under Dorothy Hulse, who was also the teacher of Audrey Sc ...

), New Orleans (Urbain in ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history ...

''), Omaha (Cherubino in ''Le nozze di Figaro'', and the name part in ''La périchole''), Philadelphia (''Rigoletto'', opposite Luciano Pavarotti; Cherubino, with Treigle and

Richard Fredricks Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

; and ''Anna Bolena'', with

Renata Scotto Renata Scotto (born 24 February 1934) is an Italian soprano and opera director. Recognized for her sense of style, her musicality, and as a remarkable singer-actress, Scotto is considered one of the preeminent singers of her generation. Since ...

), Pittsburgh (''Rigoletto''), St Paul (world premiere of ''Casanova's Homecoming'', for the Minnesota Opera), San Antonio (Nicklausse in ''Les contes d'Hoffmann''), San Diego (Cherubino in ''Le nozze di Figaro''; ''Così fan tutte''; the world premiere of ''La loca''; Giulietta in ''Un giorno di regno''; the Verdi Requiem; ''Anna Bolena'', with

Katia Ricciarelli Catiuscia Maria Stella Ricciarelli (born 16 January 1946), known as Katia Ricciarelli (), is an Italian soprano and actress. Biography Born in Rovigo, Veneto, to a very poor family, she struggled during her younger years when she studied music ...

; and Cuniza in ''Oberto'', with

Ferruccio Furlanetto Ferruccio Furlanetto (born 16 May 1949 in Sacile, Italy) is an Italian bass. His professional debut was in 1974 in Lonigo, he debuted at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1979, in a production of Verdi's ''Macbeth'', conducted by Claudio Abbado. H ...

), San Francisco (as Shelly Ward in the world premiere of ''Angle of Repose'', with

Nancy Shade Nancy Shade (born May 31, 1946, in Rockford, Illinois) is an American spinto soprano, best known as a singing-actress. She made her formal debut as Leonora in ''Il trovatore'', in Louisville, in 1967. In 1971, she made her first of many appeara ...

and

Chester Ludgin Chester Ludgin (May 20, 1925 – August 9, 2003) was an American operatic baritone. Biography Chester Ludgin was a native of Brooklyn, New York. He made his professional debut in 1956 with The Experimental Opera Theatre of America (affiliated wi ...

; ''La forza del destino'', with Anna Tomowa-Sintow, then

Raina Kabaivanska Raina Yakimova Kabaivanska ( bg, Райна Якимова Кабаиванска); born 15 December 1934) is a Bulgarian opera singer, one of the leading lirico-spinto sopranos of her generation, particularly associated with Verdi and Pucci ...

Renato Bruson Renato Bruson (born 13 January 1936) is an Italian operatic baritone. Bruson is widely considered one of the most important Verdi baritones of the late 20th and early 21st century. He was born in Granze near Padua, Italy. Biography and caree ...

, and

Paul Plishka Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

; ''Faust'', with Giacomo Aragall; and as Barbara in ''Kát'a Kabanová'', with

Elisabeth Söderström Anna Elisabeth Söderström (married name Olow; 7 May 192720 November 2009) was a Swedish soprano who performed both opera and song, and was known as a leading interpreter of the works of Janáček, Rachmaninoff and Sibelius.Elizabeth Sleeman, ' ...

and William Cochran, conducted by

Rafael Kubelík Rafael Jeroným Kubelík, KBE (29 June 1914 – 11 August 1996) was a Czech conductor and composer. Son of a well-known violinist, Jan Kubelík, he was trained in Prague, and made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of ...

), Washington DC (Sesto in ''Giulio Cesare'', with

Tatiana Troyanos Tatiana Troyanos (September 12, 1938 – August 21, 1993) was an American mezzo-soprano of Greek and German descent, remembered as "one of the defining singers of her generation" (''Boston Globe''). Her voice, "a paradoxical voice — larger ...

and

June Anderson June Anderson (born December 30, 1952) is a Grammy Award-winning American coloratura soprano. She is known for ''bel canto'' performances of Rossini, Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Subsequently, she has extended her repertoire to include a wi ...

, for the Handel Festival), as well as the Friends of French Opera (in ''Armide'') at Carnegie Hall, and Wolf Trap (Cherubino, opposite Joy Clements and

Phyllis Curtin Phyllis Curtin (née Smith; December 3, 1921 – June 5, 2016) was an American soprano and academic teacher who had an active career in operas and concerts from the early 1950s through the 1980s. She is known for her creation of roles in ope ...

; ''Roberto Devereux''; and ''Carmen''). She sang performances of Rossini's ''Stabat mater'' for the Cincinnati May Festival (with

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...

, 1971) and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (with Galvany, 1987).

Marriages

Susan Dowell married, first, Frederic E. Marsee, on May 23, 1964. The marriage later ended in divorce. She then married Brett Hamilton, which ended in divorce. She married Mark Weinstein in 1987.

Abroad

Abroad, she appeared at Calgary (''La Cenerentola'' and ''Norma''), the Canary Islands Festival (as Zerlina in ''Don Giovanni'', with

Samuel Ramey Samuel Edward Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique to enable him to sing th ...

; and ''Anna Bolena''), Caracas (''Così fan tutte''), the Cervantes Festival (''Don Quichotte'', and Orfeo in ''Orfeo ed Euridice''), Mexico City (''Don Quichotte'' and ''Orfeo ed Euridice''), Montreal (Rosina in ''Il barbiere di Siviglia''), and the Taiwanese Opera Festival. In 1972, she made her only commercial recording, for Westminster, as Nicklausse in ''

Les contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'', opposite Sills and Treigle, conducted by Rudel. In 1977, she made her European debut at the

Spoleto Festival The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conce ...

in ''Così fan tutte'', and then appeared at the

Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental ...

in ''Roberto Devereux'', with

Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé i Folch or Folc (full name: María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch (, , ; (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano. She sang a wide v ...

, Carreras, and Vicente Sardinero.

Television

Marsee was seen in a number of

PBS television The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

broadcasts: ''Rachel, la cubana'' (as Lucile; world premiere, conducted by the composer,

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

, 1974), ''Roberto Devereux'' (with Sills, 1975), ''Il turco in Italia'' (with Sills and

Donald Gramm Donald John Gramm (February 26, 1927 – June 2, 1983) was an American bass-baritone whose career was divided between opera and concert performances. His appearances were primarily limited to the United States, which at the time was unusual for an ...

, 1978), ''La Cenerentola'' (with

Rockwell Blake Rockwell Blake (born January 10, 1951) is an American operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in Rossini operas. He was the first winner of the Richard Tucker Award. Biography Born and raised in Plattsburgh, NY, Blake was the son of a mi ...

and Alan Titus, 1980), ''Rigoletto'' (1988), ''A Little Night Music'' (with

Regina Resnik Regina Resnik (born Regina Resnick, August 30, 1922 – August 8, 2013) was an American opera singer who had an active international career that spanned five decades. She began her career as a soprano in 1942 and soon after began a lengthy and ...

, 1990) and ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (as Marcellina, 1991).

Farewell

Her final appearances at the City Opera were as Mistress Bentson in ''

Lakmé ''Lakmé'' is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. The score, written from 1881 to 1882, was first performed on 14 April 1883 by the Opéra-Comique at the (second) Salle Favart in ...

'' (opposite

Elizabeth Futral Susan Elizabeth Futral (born September 27, 1963 in Johnston County, North Carolina) is an American coloratura soprano who has won acclaim (as both singer and actress) throughout the United States as well as in Europe, South America, and Japan. E ...

), in 1994. The following year (twenty-five years after her debut), she sang her farewell performance, in the cameo rôle of Alisa in the Capobianco production of ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoo ...

'', for the

Pittsburgh Opera Pittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts Sch ...

. Since her retirement from the stage, Miss Marsee has concentrated on vocal pedagogy, and has held positions at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

(1991–92),

American Musical and Dramatic Academy The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) is a private conservatory for the performing arts located in New York City and Los Angeles, California. The conservatory offers both Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and two-year certificates in prof ...

(New York City, 1994–97), Pittsburgh CLO Academy (1997–99), City Music Center of

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

(1998–2000), Carnegie Mellon University (1999–2008), and Catholic University of America (2008–11). In 2015, Opera Depot published her 1976 performance of ''Lucrezia Borgia'', with Sills and Henry Price, conducted by Rudel, on Compact Discs. Later the same year, they published the 1975 ''Anna Bolena'', with Scotto and Ramey, conducted by Rudel. In 2016, they published the Aix-en-Provence ''Roberto Devereux'', to mark Carreras's 70th birthday.

Commercial recordings

* Offenbach: ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (Sills, Burrows, Treigle; Rudel, 1972)

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

(audio) * Donizetti: ''Roberto Devereux'' (Sills, J.Alexander, Fredricks; Rudel, Capobianco, 1975) iveVAI (video)

References

* ''Who's Who in Opera'', edited by Maria F. Rich, Arno Press, 1976. * ''The New York City Opera: An American Adventure'', by Martin L. Sokol (Annals by George Louis Mayer), Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc, 1981;

External links

* , with Rockwell Blake (1980). * The Susanne Marsee Appreciation Societ

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsee, Susanne American operatic mezzo-sopranos 1941 births Living people Musicians from San Diego University of California, Los Angeles alumni Juilliard School alumni Singers from Los Angeles Louisiana State University faculty Duquesne University faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art faculty American people of Greek descent American people of French descent American people of English descent 20th-century American women opera singers