Carlotta Ordassy American soprano Date of Birth: 02.05.1921 Country: USA

1. Biography of Carlotta Ordassy
2. Early Life and Education
3. Professional Career
4. Collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera
5. Roles and Performances
6. Later Years and Personal Life

Biography of Carlotta Ordassy

Carlotta Ordassy was an American operatic soprano of Hungarian descent who immigrated to the United States after World War II. She had a career that spanned over twenty years at the Metropolitan Opera, participating in 760 performances on its stage.

Early Life and Education

Carlotta Ordassy was born on May 2, 1921, in Budapest. She studied at the Budapest Academy of Music and graduated in 1947. In the same year, she won second prize at the prestigious Geneva International Music Competition, with the first prize going to the 24-year-old Spanish soprano Victoria de los Angeles.

Professional Career

Ordassy continued her vocal training with Gina Cigna at La Scala in Milan. She made her professional debut at La Scala in 1950, performing the role of the Second Lady in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" under the baton of Otto Klemperer. After moving to the United States, Carlotta further honed her vocal skills at the Manhattan School of Music. She earned a scholarship and a contract with the Metropolitan Opera after auditioning for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air in 1956.

Collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera

Ordassy made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on January 22, 1957, portraying Gerhilde in Wagner's "Die Walküre." This marked the beginning of her long and fruitful collaboration with the famous opera company. She performed in over 760 shows in New York City and during the company's tours.

Roles and Performances

Throughout her career, Ordassy sang the role of Alice in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" in 118 productions, alongside renowned sopranos such as Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, Renata Scotto, and Anna Moffo. She also performed as Giovanna in Verdi's "Rigoletto" in 109 performances. Her repertoire included roles such as Ines in Verdi's "Il Trovatore," Curra in Verdi's "La Forza del Destino," Priestess in Verdi's "Aida," Clotilde in Bellini's "Norma," Marianne in Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier," and Kate Pinkerton in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly." She sang the role of the Falcon in the premiere of Richard Strauss' "Die Frau ohne Schatten" in 1966 and participated in local premieres of Verdi's "Macbeth" in 1959, singing Freulein, Verdi's "Nabucco" in 1960, singing Anna, and Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Last Savage" in 1964.

Later Years and Personal Life

Ordassy's final performance at the Metropolitan Opera was in the role of Ines in 1977. She was married to Ukrainian bass Vladimir Baransky, whom she met while studying at La Scala. They had two sons, Walter and Yurij. Carlotta Ordassy passed away on October 11, 2006, in Cortland, New York.