Erna Spoorenberg, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Erna Spoorenberg

Dutch singer and opera singer

Date of Birth: 11-Apr-1926

Place of Birth: Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Date of Death: 18-Mar-2004

Profession: singer, opera singer

Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Zodiac Sign: Aries


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About Erna Spoorenberg

  • Erna Spoorenberg (11 April 1925 – 18 March 2004) was a Dutch soprano. She was born in Yogyakarta, Java, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
  • As a child, she studied the violin and singing.
  • At the age of 14, she studied under Isa Neuhaus, a singer with the Düsseldorf Opera (who was later transported and killed by the Nazis).
  • Spoorenberg then studied singing under Aaltje Noordewier until she was 17, whilst continuing her violin lessons under Julius Röntgen.
  • At the conservatory, she decided to pursue singing in preference to the violin.
  • In 1947, she made her debut on Radio Hilversum, singing Mozart's motet Exsultate, jubilate.In 1949, she auditioned for Karl Böhm and was given a guest contract at the Vienna State Opera, soon becoming a permanent member.
  • Her performances there included: Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Norina) Millöcker: Der Bettelstudent (Laura) Mozart: The Magic Flute (Pamina / Queen of the Night), Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Konstanze), Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi) Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (Frau Fluth) Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus (Adele) Richard Strauss: Elektra Verdi: Rigoletto (Gilda)Returning to the Netherlands, she was eventually offered a contract with De Nederlandse Opera for 25 performances per season.
  • Her debut on 15 September 1955 was as Violetta in La traviata.
  • Her insecure position there entailed that she had to work abroad for opera roles.
  • She performed in Hamburg and Berlin and concert tours throughout Europe.
  • In 1963 and 1965, she toured the Soviet Union, appearing at the Kirov and the Bolshoi Theatre.
  • In 1968, she debuted in the United States.In parallel to her opera career, she gave many recitals, often with Geza Frid, and also as a soloist.
  • In a 1957 recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion with De Nederlandse Bachvereniging, conducted by Anthon van der Horst, she was the soprano soloist.
  • On 16 April 1970, she made her final appearance at De Nederlandse Opera as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail.In the early 1970s, Spoorenberg was injured in a car accident, in which her rib cage was crushed.
  • After six months in hospital, she trained intensively to restore her breathing technique.
  • The accident influenced her decision to work closer to home and she became mainly a singing teacher.
  • From 1970 to 1977, she taught at the Royal Academy in Brussels, and from 1971 to 1988 in the Sweelinck Academy of Music in Amsterdam.
  • After 1978, she worked as a private teacher.

Read more at Wikipedia

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