Karan Armstrong

Karan Armstrong (December 14, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American operatic soprano, who was celebrated as a singing actress. After winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1966, she was given small roles at the Metropolitan Opera, and appeared in leading roles at the New York City Opera from 1969, including Conceptión in Ravel's L'heure espagnol, Blonde in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and the title roles in Verdi's La traviata, Offenbach's La belle Hélène and Puccini's La fanciulla del West. After she performed in Europe from 1974, first as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen, and then as a sensational Salome at the Opéra du Rhin, she enjoyed a career at major opera houses, appearing in several opera recordings and films. Armstrong was for decades a leading soprano at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where her husband Götz Friedrich was director. She appeared in world premieres, including Gottfried von Einem's Jesu Hochzeit, Luciano Berio's Un re in ascolto and York Höller's Der Meister und Margarita. She was awarded the title Kammersängerin twice.

Biography Armstrong was born in Havre, Montana. Originally trained as a pianist, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College in 1963. She later studied with Lotte Lehmann in Santa Barbara, California.

In 1966, Armstrong won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, which led to her engagement by the house for small roles. She first appeared there on October 2, 1966, as one of the servants in Die Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss, conducted by Karl Böhm, alongside Leonie Rysanek and Christa Ludwig. She continued to perform regularly at the Met through the spring of 1969, in roles such as the Paggio in Verdi's Rigoletto (opposite Cornell MacNeil), Annina in Verdi's La traviata (with Virginia Zeani in the title role), and the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel (with Teresa Stratas as Gretel). She appeared as a guest at the Santa Fe Opera as Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore in 1968. She appeared at the theatre many times through 1977,

In 1974, she first appeared in Europe, as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen at the Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg. alongside Peter Hofmann in the title role, directed by her future husband, Götz Friedrich, in a performance which was later recorded and filmed. She gave her roles psychological credibility, often in productions with her husband as director. ), Los Angeles, and at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

She appeared in several operatic world premieres, including Gottfried von Einem's (as Death), Giuseppe Sinopoli's Lou Salomé, Luciano Berio's Un re in ascolto, York Höller's Der Meister und Margarita, Desdemona und ihre Schwestern by Siegfried Matthus, and Cosima, also by Matthus.

In 1985, Armstrong was named a Kammersängerin in Stuttgart; Later roles included the Widow Begbick in Weill's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Carlo Felice, Bern Theatre, Theater Erfurt, Herodias in Salome at Antikenfestspiele Trier and Canadian Opera Company, Kabanicha in Katja Kabanowa at Israeli Opera and Teatro La Fenice, Kostelnička in Jenůfa at Komische Oper Berlin, Klytämnestra in Elektra at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Théâtre du Capitole and New National Theatre, Tokyo, Mrs Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff at New National Theatre, Tokyo, Mme Larine in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in a Friedrich production, the Queen of Hearts in Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland in Geneva, In 2015, she sang Geneviève in a concert performance of Pelléas et Mélisande in Turin, conducted by Juraj Valčuha.

Personal Armstrong was married for many years to the stage director and impresario Götz Friedrich. Their marriage ended with Friedrich's death, in 2000.

Armstrong died in Marbella, Spain, on September 28, 2021, at the age of 79.

Discography Source:

Wagner: Lohengrin (Hofmann; Nelsson, 1982) [live] CBS Menotti: Songs (Francesch, p.1983) Etcetera Berio: Un re in ascolto (Adam; Maazel, 1984) [live] col legno Henze: The Bassarids (Riegel; Albrecht, 1986) koch schwann Landowski: Montségur (G.Quilico; Plasson, 1987) [live] Cybelia Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony (Kusnjer; Gregor, 1987–88) Supraphon Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony (Hermann; Gielen, 1989) [live] Orfeo Höller: Traumspiel (Zagrosek, 1989) WERGO

Videography Verdi: Falstaff (Bacquier, Stilwell; Solti, Friedrich, 1978–79) Deutsche Grammophon Wagner: Lohengrin (Hofmann; Nelsson, Friedrich, 1982) [live] EuroArts Korngold: Die tote Stadt (King; Hollreiser, Friedrich, 1983) [live] Arthaus Musik "Richard-Wagner-Abend" [includes Wesendonck-Lieder and Isoldes Liebestod] (Adam; Masur, 1988) [live] Kultur ,