American Mezzo Soprano, Martha Lipton sang 17 seasons and over 400 performances at the Metropolitan Opera House. She was an important opera star of the 20th century.
Name: Martha Lipton
Voice type: American mezzo soprano
Born: April 6, 1913; New York, New York
Died: November 28, 2006
Quick Facts about Ms. Lipton:
- Opera star, Mezzo soprano, Martha Lipton attended the Juilliard School on scholarship as she pursued her musical studies.
- Ms. Lipton made her professional debut in 1941 in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades singing the role of Pauline with Manhattan's New Opera Company. (the opera company no longer exists)
- Ms. Lipton also appeared in the inaugural season of New York City Opera, singing Nancy in Flotow's Martha.
- Only a few months after her successful New York City Opera Debut, Ms. Lipton made her Metropolitan opera debut as Siebel in Gounod's Faust on opening night of the 1944–45 season;
- During the 1940s and '50s Martha Lipton sang frequently at the Metropolitan Opera, singing more than 400 performances over 17 seasons. She was later invited back to sing at several opera galas and events at the Metropolitan opera.
- Her final main stage appearance at Metropolitan Opera was in Boris Godunov during the 1961 season.
- She premiered the role of Augusta in Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe at the Central City Opera House in Colorado on July 7th, 1956. She reprised the role later at the New York City Opera.
- At the end of her professional singing career as an opera performer, she joined the voice faculty of the Indiana University's School of Music in 1960. Ms. Lipton remained there as professor emeritus until the time of her death in 2006.
- She was involved in the first live telecast of an opera from the Metropolitan Opera, singing Emilia in Verdi's Otello, on November 29, 1948.
- The Otello cast included Licia Albanese as Desdemona, Ramón Vinay as Otello, and Leonard Warren as Iago, with Fritz Busch conducting.
Recordings:
- Third Symphony, Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein, conductor; New York Philharmonic; Women's Chorus of the Schola Cantorum; Boy's Choir of the Church of the Transfiguration,(Sony Classical, Cat. #61831))
- Te Deum, Bruckner, Bruno Walter conductor (Columbia Records)
- Der Rosenkavalier, Richard Strauss, Metropolitan Opera, (Naxos Historical, Cat. # 8.110277-79)
- Rigoletto, Verdi, Metropolitan Opera with Bjoerling, Sayao, Warren (Naxos Historical, Cat. # 8.110051-52)
- A Copland Festival, vol. 2; Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, Aaron Copland, (A. Copland, piano) Sony/ BMG Cat # S2K89326
- Messiah, Handel (Highlights) Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, (Sony Classical, Cat. #SBK48172)
- Song of the Wood-Dove Schoenberg , from Gurrelieder (arr. Erwin Stein) Leopold Stokowski conducts, The Classic 1947-1949 Columbia Recordings—Volume 2, New York Philharmonic Orchestra,(Cala/DI Music Cat. # CACD0533)
The copyright of the article Martha Lipton, Profiled in Opera Stars is owned by Bryce Westervelt. Permission to republish Martha Lipton, Profiled in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
