Teresa Berganza

Born in Madrid, Spain on March 16, 1933, mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza was considered one of the great operatic voices of her time. Her musical journey began when she studied piano and voice – under Lola Rodríguez Aragón - at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. She made her concert debut in 1955 and her operatic debut two years later, performing in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. She then performed at La Scala in Milan, Italy and at the Glyndebourne Festival in England. A respected interpreter of the works of Mozart and Rossini, Teresa Berganza won accolades in the roles of the Cherub in the Marriage of Figaro – her favorite role - and as Rosina in the Barber of Seville (1960). Teresa Berganza made her American debut in 1958 at the Dallas Opera in Rossini’s L'Italienne à Alger, which was followed by performances of Medea with Maria Callas, where the two singers became friends. In 1967, she performed for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, alongside Mirella Freni and Pilar Lorengar, with whom she recorded Spanish operettas in the mid-1950s. She remained busy throughout her career and, in 1989, Teresa Berganza inaugurated the new Opéra Bastille in Paris, France during a gala recital with Placido Domingo. She took over the role of Zerline in Don Giovanni at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy, and, in 1992, she sang at the Universal Exhibition of Seville as well as at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. She retired from the stage in 2008, turning her attention to teaching voice at the Reina Sofia Music School in Madrid. She won many awards and accolades over the years including the Gold Medal of Merit in Fine Arts from the Kingdom of Spain (1982). She was also awarded the Dame Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (2013). Her catalog of recordings includes Arniches: El Puñao de Rosas (1954), Berganza Sings Rossini (1959), Arias of the 18th Century (1961), Spanish & Italian Songs (1962), Canciones Españolas (1974), Bizet: Carmen (1978), Mozart Concert Arias (1981), Ravel: Mélodies (1984), and Romantic Zarazuelas of Spain (2009). Teresa Berganza died on May 13, 2022, at the age of 89.

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