Grace Hoffman

Grace Hoffman (born Goldie Hoffman; January 14, 1921 – July 26, 2008) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano and academic teacher. Based at the Staatsoper Stuttgart from 1955 to 1992, she performed roles such as Verdi's Azucena and Eboli at leading opera houses in Europe and the Americas. Her signature role was Wagner's Brangäne, performed at the Bayreuth Festival, among others.

Life Goldie Hoffman was born on January 14, 1921, in Cleveland, Ohio, to a family of Hungarian origin. as Lucia in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana. The same year, she appeared as the Priestess in Verdi's Aida at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. In 1952, she performed at the Zürich Opera House as Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore and remained there until 1955.

Hoffman performed at the Bavarian State Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Paris Opéra, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Opéra national de Bordeaux, the Teatro Comunale Bologna, La Fenice in Venice, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Copenhagen Opera House, the Philadelphia Opera, and the Liceu in Barcelona.

In 1978, Hoffman was appointed a professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart but continued her singing career. In 1988, she appeared as Mother Wesener in Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Die Soldaten at the Opéra du Rhin, a role she again played at the Vienna State Opera in 1990. She recorded the part for Teldec in 1988–89, opposite Nancy Shade, conducted by Bernhard Kontarsky. In 1989, the production was filmed and published on video-cassette, then DVD.

Hoffman was awarded the title Kammersängerin. on July 26, 2008, at age 87.