Cleveland Opera was incorporated by David Bamberger, Carola Bamberger, and John D. Heavenrich in March 1976 and presented its first season in October and November of that year with sold-out productions of Puccini 's Madama Butterfly and Rossini 's The Barber of Seville . By 1984, it had become the resident opera company at Playhouse Square , with performances at the State Theater . The company played an integral part in the revitalization of Cleveland's historic Cleveland Theater District and was a leader in the movement to make theaters accessible to the physically challenged. There was considerable overlap between the orchestra personnel of the Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Ballet, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, to the advantage of all three organizations.
22-742: The company was managed from March 1976 to April 2004 by David Bamberger as General Director and Carola Bamberger as Associate Director. In that period, it presented 122 full productions of 74 works by 43 different composers spanning the history of musical theater from Monteverdi to the present. Its casts included some of opera's greatest artists, among whom were Roberta Peters , Jerome Hines , Sherrill Milnes , and (in concert) Plácido Domingo , Luciano Pavarotti , and José Carreras . In addition to operas and operettas, Cleveland Opera presented several musical theatre favorites, such as West Side Story , Man of La Mancha and My Fair Lady . It received international attention by commissioning and presenting
44-411: A higher range, can sing more dexterous vocal passages and has a somewhat brighter sound than the soubrette. The lyric soprano has a richer voice and higher range than the soubrette soprano. The mezzo-soprano can sing as high as a soubrette but with a darker timbre and heavier weight in the voice. Mezzos also have a much more extensive range in the lower register. In addition, the beautiful light voice of
66-521: A hundred years later, is Suzanne in Beaumarchais ' Le Mariage de Figaro (1784). In classical music and opera , the term soubrette refers to both a soprano voice type or fach , and a type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre , a tessitura in the mid-range, but lacking extensive coloratura . A soubrette's vocal range extends approximately from middle C ( C 4 ) to "high D" (D 6 ). The voice has
88-419: A lighter vocal weight than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre. Many young singers start out as soubrettes but as they grow older and the voice matures more physically they may be reclassified as another voice type, usually either a light lyric soprano , a lyric coloratura soprano , or a coloratura mezzo-soprano . Rarely does a singer remain a soubrette throughout her entire career. The tessitura of
110-520: A voice teacher known for his exacting and thorough teaching method. Under Herman's training, Peters studied the French, German and Italian languages and practiced singing scales from a clarinet method. After six years of training, Herman introduced her to impresario Sol Hurok , who arranged for an audition with Rudolf Bing , general manager of the Metropolitan Opera . Bing asked her to sing
132-496: A world premiere opera by a noted Rock musician, Stewart Copeland of " The Police ", with his opera Holy Blood and Crescent Moon . The company was also noted for “Cleveland Opera on Tour,” an extensive education and outreach program. It was a member of OPERA America , a national organization which oversees and helps the development of opera across the North American continent. Following the departure of David Bamberger,
154-476: Is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre , often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". In theatre, a soubrette is a comedy character who is vain and girlish, mischievous, lighthearted, coquettish and gossipy—often a chambermaid or confidante of
176-753: Is noted for her 35-year association with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York, among the longest such associations between a singer and a company in opera. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1998. Peters was born Roberta Peterman in The Bronx , New York City, the only child of Ruth (née Hersch), a milliner, and Solomon Peterman, a shoe salesman. Her family was Jewish. Encouraged by tenor Jan Peerce , she started her music studies at age 13 with William Herman,
198-888: The Royal Opera House in London, in Balfe's The Bohemian Girl , conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham . From the mid-1950s onwards, she appeared in several opera houses in Italy, the Vienna State Opera , the Salzburg Festival , and the Bolshoi in Moscow, in 1972. Peters was as popular on television as on the stage. She appeared regularly on such programs as The Voice of Firestone and The Tonight Show . On
220-538: The ingénue . She often displays a flirtatious or even sexually aggressive nature. The soubrette appeared in commedia dell'arte scenarios, often in the role of Columbina , where the actress would provide the details of her behaviour and dialogue. From there, she moved to the works of Molière , which were influenced by the Commedia; the role of Dorine in Tartuffe (1664) fits the description. A famous example, though
242-560: The Queen of the Night's second aria from The Magic Flute (with its four Fs above high C), several times, listening from all parts of the hall to make sure she could fill the hall with sound. He scheduled her to sing the role in February 1951. Peters however made her debut earlier than planned. On November 17, 1950, Bing phoned her asking if she could step in to replace Nadine Conner , who
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#1732793473455264-525: The Sunday night CBS variety program The Ed Sullivan Show , Peters was its most frequent guest, appearing a record 65 times. She also appeared in several television commercials, including a memorable entry in American Express' "Do You Know Me?" campaign, in which she hailed a taxi at the top of her voice. Peters also had an extensive career as a recitalist, appearing in concert halls throughout
286-662: The United States. Early in her career in 1962, she performed before an audience of over 13,000 at the popular outdoor "Italian Night" concert series at Lewisohn Stadium in New York under the direction of conductor Alfredo Antonini . Later in her career she added operetta and musical theater to her repertoire, appearing in The Merry Widow , and The King and I . She also recorded Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel with Alfred Drake. Peters never officially retired and gave occasional recitals later in life. Peters
308-518: The company pursued financial policies that weakened it considerably. The decision was made to merge with another struggling company that operated largely in the summer, Lyric Opera Cleveland. The merged company was named Opera Cleveland and gave its first staged production in April 2007. Mismanagement plagued the company, however, and it became defunct in the fall of 2010. In subsequent years, two small Cleveland companies changed their names to incorporate
330-695: The last being her farewell role at the Met in 1985. Peters also appeared frequently with the Cincinnati Opera , as well as in numerous cities around the United States while on tour with the Met. Over the years, she expanded her repertoire to include roles such as Lakmé , Juliette in Roméo et Juliette , Massenet's Manon , and occasionally performing Violetta in La traviata , and Mimì in La bohème . Peters also appeared abroad as early as 1951, when she sang at
352-580: The soubrette is ideal for baroque music , early music and baroque opera , as well as many art songs . However, the soubrette soprano voice is limited even in this repertoire by its lack of coloratura skill and relatively limited range. Many operettas and musicals include soubrette characters, such as Valencienne in The Merry Widow , and in Gilbert and Sullivan the Jessie Bond mezzo-soprano roles such as Pitti-Sing ( The Mikado ). Another example
374-592: The soubrette singer must possess both an excellent comprehension of the German language and considerable acting skills. It is rare to find true soubrettes singing in major opera houses as their voices are typically unable to carry over larger orchestras in larger halls. Often lyric, coloratura, and mezzo-sopranos are cast in soubrette roles, especially in the early part of their singing careers. This does not mean that these singers are soubrette sopranos but it does mean they can play soubrette roles. The coloratura soprano has
396-449: The soubrette tends to lie a bit lower than the lyric soprano and spinto soprano . Soubrette roles are typically found in comic operas or operettas and they usually portray good-looking, youthful girls who are flirtatious, saucy, and street-wise. Typically these roles are sung by younger singers and both sopranos and mezzo-sopranos are cast in them. Many soubrette roles have a considerable amount of spoken German dialogue, and therefore
418-433: The words "Cleveland Opera." In 2014, "Opera per tutti" became "Cleveland Opera Theater" and, in 2017, "Opera Circle" became "The Cleveland Opera." Neither institution is connected to the organization described above. Roberta Peters Roberta Peters (May 4, 1930 – January 18, 2017) was an American coloratura soprano . One of the most prominent American singers to achieve lasting fame and success in opera, Peters
440-426: Was briefly married to baritone Robert Merrill in 1952, later admitting she had fallen in love with the voice and not the man. The two divorced amicably, remained friends and continued to perform together in opera and recitals. She married Bertram Fields in 1955. Their marriage produced two sons. Fields died in 2010. Peters died of Parkinson's disease on January 18, 2017, at age 86. Soubrette A soubrette
462-1771: Was established. Combining an attractive voice with sparkling coloratura agility and good looks, Peters became a favorite of American audiences and a great proponent of opera for the masses. She quickly established herself in the standard soubrette and coloratura repertoire. Her roles at the Met included Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro ; Despina in Così fan tutte ; the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute ; Amore in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice ; Marzeline in Beethoven's Fidelio ; Rosina in The Barber of Seville ; Adina in L'elisir d'amore ; Norina in Don Pasquale ; Oscar in Un ballo in maschera ; Nanetta in Falstaff ; Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann ; Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier ; Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos ; and Adele in Die Fledermaus . She later added lyric-coloratura roles such as Amina in La sonnambula , Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor and Gilda in Rigoletto ,
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#1732793473455484-503: Was ill, as Zerlina in Don Giovanni . Peters knew the role, but had not yet ever performed on stage or even sung with a full orchestra; nevertheless, she accepted. Fritz Reiner was the conductor that night. Despite a reputation for being distant and reserved, Reiner made a point of coming to Peters's dressing room to encourage her and guided her through the performance. Her performance was received with great enthusiasm, and her career
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