Gail Robinson

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Gail Robinson (born August 7, 1946 in Meridian , Mississippi , † October 19, 2008 in Lexington , Kentucky ) was an American opera singer with a soprano voice . Gail Robinson is best known for her interpretations of roles in operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and for her bel canto singing.

Biography and artistic work

Gail Robinson grew up in Jackson , Tennessee , later moved to Memphis , Tennessee and studied at Memphis State University .

At the age of 19 she won the Metropolitan Opera singing competition . In 1970 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte . During a tour of the Metropolitan Opera in Detroit in 1970 , she replaced Roberta Peters in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti . This meant her artistic breakthrough. In 1971 she sang her first Lucia at the Metropolitan Opera.

During her career, Gail Robinson sang a. a. in Berlin (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin), Hamburg, Munich and Geneva. In North America she made a guest appearance. a. in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Ottawa.

Her most important roles included Rosina in The Barber of Seville , Pamina in Die Zauberflöte , Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail , Ilia in Idomeneo , Norina in Don Pasquale , Gilda in Rigoletto and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck .

1975 Gail Robinson worked in the film adaptation of the operetta Die Dubarry (Millöcker / Mackeben) for ZDF . Gail Robinson convinced in her interpretation of the title role with her coloratura voice and her graceful appearance. The television adaptation is occasionally repeated on the ZDFtheaterkanal. In 1978 Gail Robinson was also a guest on the ZDF music show I like to invite guests .

1987 Gail Robinson sang for the last time as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera; she had sung in over 200 performances there. Health problems forced Gail Robinson to gradually end her stage career in the following years. In 2000 Gail Robinson finally said goodbye to the opera stage. From 1999 until her death she was a professor of singing at the University of Kentucky .

During the 1990s she directed the New York Metropolitan Opera’s program for the promotion of young talent, from which many well-known singers emerged. a. Dwayne Croft, Paul Groves, Heidi Grant Murphy .

Gail Robinson died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis . She was buried on October 23, 2008 in Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis. Her student Paul Groves sang the song Soupir by Henri Duparc (1848–1933) at her funeral service .

TV movie

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Dubarry . Operetta by Theo Mackeben based on music by Carl Millöcker. TV production, BR Germany 1975 ( Memento from August 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
personal data
SURNAME Robinson, Gail
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American opera singer (soprano)
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH meridian
DATE OF DEATH October 19, 2008
Place of death Lexington