Frank Corsaro (born December 22, 1924, in New York City) is one of America's foremost stage directors of opera and theatre. His Broadway productions include ''The Night of the Iguana'' (with Bette Davis, 1961).

Corsaro attended De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, and had attended Immaculata High School in Manhattan before returning to DeWitt Clinton.

Corsaro made his operatic directing debut at the New York City Opera in 1958, with a staging of Carlisle Floyd's ''Susannah''. It was this production that the company took to the Brussels World's Fair that year, starring Phyllis Curtin, Norman Treigle and Richard Cassilly. He was to become one of the City Opera's leading directors, creating such important productions as ''The Fiery Angel'' (by Prokofiev), ''La traviata'' (with Patricia Brooks and Plácido Domingo), ''Madama Butterfly'', ''The Crucible'' (featuring Chester Ludgin), ''Faust'' (with Beverly Sills and Treigle), ''Prince Igor'' (by Borodin), ''The Makropulos Affair'' (with Maralin Niska), ''Summer and Smoke'' (by Lee Hoiby), ''Médée'' (in the Italian version), ''Die tote Stadt'' (with Carol Neblett), ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' (in designs by Maurice Sendak), Alban Berg's ''Lulu'' (with Ronald Chase), and ''Carmen''.

Corsaro directed the world premieres of two of Floyd's later operas, ''Of Mice and Men'' (1970) and ''Flower and Hawk'' (1972). He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1984, with Handel's ''Rinaldo'', starring Marilyn Horne and Samuel Ramey.

Corsaro has written several libretti for operas. These include ''Heloise and Abelard'' by Stephen Paulus and ''Frau Margot'' by Thomas Pasatieri whose opera, ''The Seagull'', he directed at its premiere.

As an actor, Corsaro appeared in the 1968 film, ''Rachel, Rachel'' (as Hector Jonas), opposite Joanne Woodward, directed by her husband, Paul Newman. In 1988, he became the head of the Actors Studio.

Corsaro has a son, Andrew, and two grandsons, Matthew and Mason.

References

Bibliography

''Maverick'', by Frank Corsaro, Vanguard Press, 1978. ISBN 0-8149-0790-3

Category:1924 births Category:DeWitt Clinton High School alumni Category:Living people Category:Opera directors Category:People from New York City Category:American theatre directors

Maralin Niska (born November 16, 1926) is an acclaimed operatic soprano, well known as a singing-actress.

Born in San Pedro, California, Niska studied under Louise Mansfield, Lotte Lehmann, and primarily Ernest St. John Metz. Niska sang extensively in southern California during the 1950s, including performances with the USC Opera, UCLA Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Redlands Bowl and other regional companies. Her extensive national and international career began at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera National Company as Susannah in the Carlisle Floyd work, in Indianapolis in 1965. She currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is married to William Mullen.

New York City Opera

The soprano was first heard at the New York City Opera in the fall of 1967, as the Contessa Almaviva in ''Le nozze di Figaro'', with Norman Treigle in the title role. She went on to perform with that company in many productions, including ''La bohème'' (now as Musetta), ''La traviata'' (opposite Plácido Domingo), ''Madama Butterfly'', ''Pagliacci'', ''Suor Angelica'', ''Faust'' (in Frank Corsaro's production, with whom she would often collaborate), ''Prince Igor'', ''The Turn of the Screw'' (as the Governess), ''La bohème'' (as Mimì, with George Shirley and Carol Neblett), ''The Makropoulos Case'' (with Harry Theyard and Chester Ludgin, directed by Corsaro), ''Susannah'' (with Treigle), ''Tosca'' (with José Carreras), ''Don Giovanni'' (as Donna Anna, conducted by Bruno Maderna), ''Don Giovanni'' (now as Donna Elvira, with Richard Fredricks and Richard Stilwell alternating in the name part), ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' (as the Composer, staged by Sarah Caldwell), ''Médée'' (in the Italian version), ''Manon Lescaut'', ''Salome'' (conducted by Julius Rudel), ''Idomeneo'' (as Elettra), a double-bill of ''Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' (in which she sang both Santuzza and Nedda), ''La voix humaine'', ''La fanciulla del West'', ''Die Fledermaus'' (as Rosalinde), and ''Maria Stuarda'' (as Elisabetta). In all she sang 29 leading roles with the company, the most of any singer in its history.

Metropolitan Opera

Niska debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1970, in ''La traviata'', and went on to appear in ''La bohème'' (as Musetta, with Montserrat Caballé, Franco Corelli, and Matteo Manuguerra), ''Tosca'', ''Les vêpres siciliennes'' (in John Dexter's production, with Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, and Paul Plishka, conducted by James Levine), and ''Salome'' (with Astrid Varnay, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf). On March 15, 1977, Niska sang Musetta in ''La bohème'', for the first of the series, "Live From the Met," with Renata Scotto and Luciano Pavarotti. She then sang ''Pagliacci'' with the company. Her final performance with the Met was on their 1978 tour to Wolf Trap Farm Park, in ''Don Giovanni'', in which she portrayed Donna Elvira opposite James Morris, Rockwell Blake, Roberta Peters, Donald Gramm, and John Macurdy. The soprano sang with various other companies in America, as well.

Videography

Puccini: ''La bohème'' (Scotto, Pavarotti, Wixell, Monk, Plishka, Tajo; Levine, Melano, 1977) [live] Deutsche Grammophon

References

''The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia'', edited by David Hamilton, Simon and Schuster, 1987. ISBN 0-671-61732-X

External links

Ingvar Wixell (1977).">Maralin Niska in an excerpt from ''La bohème'', with Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti, and Ingvar Wixell (1977).

Career description of Maralin Niska

http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/2006/08/singers_maralin.html

Photo Gallery of Maralin Niska

http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/2006/08/singers_maralin.html

Category:Operatic sopranos Category:American opera singers Category:1926 births Category:Living people Category:People from San Pedro, Los Angeles Category:Singers from California Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California

Birth name	Maurice Bernard Sendak
birth date	June 10, 1928
birth place	Brooklyn, New York
death date	May 08, 2012
death place	Danbury, Connecticut
death cause
occupation	Artist, Illustrator, Writer
nationality	American
period	1947–2012
genre	Children's literature
influences	William Blake, Herman Melville, Antoine Watteau, Francisco Goya, Mozart, Emily Dickinson, ''Fantasia'' (1940), George MacDonald, his father (Philip Sendak)
influenced	Gregory Maguire, Jodi Picoult
notableworks	''Where the Wild Things Are'' (1963)''In the Night Kitchen'' (1970)
awards	Caldecott MedalLaura Ingalls Wilder Medal
website	}}

Maurice Bernard Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He was best known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.

Early life

Sendak was born in Brooklyn, to Polish Jewish immigrant parents Sadie (née Schindler) and Philip Sendak, a dressmaker. Sendak described his childhood as a "terrible situation" because of his extended family's dying in The Holocaust, which exposed him at an early age to death and the concept of mortality. His love of books began at an early age when he developed health problems and was confined to his bed. He decided to become an illustrator after watching Walt Disney's film ''Fantasia'' at the age of twelve. One of his first professional commissions was to create window displays for the toy store F.A.O. Schwarz. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled ''Atomics for the Millions'' by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff. He spent much of the 1950s illustrating children's books written by others before beginning to write his own stories.

Work

Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating ''Where the Wild Things Are.'' The book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned some parents when it was first published, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance. Before ''Where the Wild Things Are'', Sendak was best known for illustrating Else Holmelund Minarik's ''Little Bear'' series of books.

When Sendak saw a manuscript of ''Zlateh the Goat'', the first children’s story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, on the desk of an editor at Harper & Row, he offered to illustrate the book. It was first published in 1966 and received a Newbery Award. Sendak was delighted and enthusiastic about the collaboration. He once wryly remarked that his parents were "finally" impressed by their youngest child when he collaborated with Singer.

His book ''In the Night Kitchen,'' originally issued in 1970, has often been subjected to censorship for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. The book has been challenged in several American states including Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas. ''In the Night Kitchen'' regularly appears on the American Library Association's list of "frequently challenged and banned books." It was listed number 21 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999."

His 1981 book ''Outside Over There'' is the story of a girl, Ida, and her sibling jealousy and responsibility. Her father is away and so Ida is left to watch her baby sister, much to her dismay. Her sister is kidnapped by goblins and Ida must go off on a magical adventure to rescue her. At first, she's not really eager to get her sister and nearly passes her sister right by when she becomes absorbed in the magic of the quest. In the end, she rescues her baby sister, destroys the goblins, and returns home committed to caring for her sister until her father returns home.

Sendak was an early member of the National Board of Advisors of the Children's Television Workshop during the development stages of the ''Sesame Street'' television series. He also adapted his book ''Bumble Ardy'' into an animated sequence for the series, with Jim Henson as the voice of Bumble Ardy. He wrote and designed three other animated stories for the series: "Seven Monsters" (which never aired), "Up & Down", and "Broom Adventures".

Sendak produced an animated television production based on his work titled ''Really Rosie'', featuring the voice of Carole King, which was broadcast in 1975 and is available on video (usually as part of video compilations of his work). An album of the songs was also produced. He contributed the opening segment to ''Simple Gifts'', a Christmas collection of six animated shorts shown on PBS TV in 1977 and later issued on VHS in 1993. He adapted his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'' for the stage in 1979. Additionally, he designed sets for many operas and ballets, including the award-winning (1983) Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Tchaikovsky's ''The Nutcracker'', Houston Grand Opera's productions of Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' (1981) and Humperdinck's ''Hansel and Gretel'' (1997), Los Angeles County Music Center's 1990 production of Mozart's ''Idomeneo'', and the New York City Opera's 1981 production of Janáček's ''The Cunning Little Vixen''.

In the 1990s, Sendak approached playwright Tony Kushner to write a new English version of the Czech composer Hans Krása's children's Holocaust opera ''Brundibár''. Kushner wrote the text for Sendak's illustrated book of the same name, published in 2003. The book was named one of the New York Times Book Review's ''10 Best Illustrated Books of 2003''.

In 2003, Chicago Opera Theatre produced Sendak and Kushner's adaptation of ''Brundibár''. In 2005, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theatre and Broadway's New Victory Theater, produced a substantially reworked version of the Sendak-Kushner adaptation.

Sendak also created the children's television program ''Seven Little Monsters''.

Influences

Maurice Sendak drew inspiration and influences from a vast number of painters, musicians and authors. Going back to his childhood, one of his earliest memorable influences was actually his father, Philip Sendak. According to Maurice, his father would relate tales from the Bible; however, he would embellish them with racy details. Not realizing that this was inappropriate for children, little Maurice would frequently be sent home after retelling his father's "softcore Bible tales" at school.

Growing up, Sendak developed from other influences, starting with Walt Disney's ''Fantasia''. He has been quoted as saying, "My gods are Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, Mozart. I believe in them with all my heart." Elaborating further, he has explained that reading Emily Dickinson's works helps him to remain calm in an otherwise hectic world: "And I have a little tiny Emily Dickinson so big that I carry in my pocket everywhere. And you just read three poems of Emily. She is so brave. She is so strong. She is such a passionate little woman. I feel better." Likewise, of Mozart, he has said, "When Mozart is playing in my room, I am in conjunction with something I can't explain. [...] I don't need to. I know that if there's a purpose for life, it was for me to hear Mozart."

Personal life

Sendak mentioned in a September 2008 article in ''The New York Times'' that he was gay and had lived with his partner, psychoanalyst Dr. Eugene Glynn, for 50 years before Glynn’s death in May 2007. Revealing that he never told his parents, he said, "All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew." Sendak's relationship with Glynn had been mentioned by other writers before (e.g., Tony Kushner in 2003). In Glynn's 2007 ''New York Times'' obituary, Sendak was listed as Glynn's "partner of fifty years".

He donated $1 million to the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services to commemorate Glynn, who had treated young people there. The gift will name a clinic for Glynn.

Death

Sendak died in the morning of May 8, 2012, in Danbury, Connecticut, from complications of a stroke. Funeral services will be handled by The Kane Funeral Home in Ridgefield.

In its obituary, ''The New York Times'' called Sendak "the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century." Author Neil Gaiman remarked "He was unique, grumpy, brilliant, gay, wise, magical and made the world better by creating art in it." Author R.L. Stine called Sendak's death "A sad day in children’s books and for the world." "We are all honored to have been briefly invited into his world," remarked comedian Stephen Colbert. "I will always think of you in the Night Kitchen," said Molly Ringwald.

His final book, ''Bumble-Ardy'', was published eight months prior to his death. A posthumous picture book is scheduled for publication in February 2013.

Collection

Sendak chose the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be the repository for his work in the early 1970s, thanks to shared literary and collecting interests. His collection of nearly 10,000 works of art, manuscripts, books and ephemera, has been the subject of many exhibitions at the Rosenbach, seen by visitors of all ages. Sendak once praised Herman Melville’s writings, saying, “There’s a mystery there, a clue, a nut, a bolt, and if I put it together, I find me.” From May 6, 2008, through May 3, 2009, the Rosenbach presented ''There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak''. This major retrospective of over 130 pieces pulled from the museum’s vast Sendak collection—the biggest collection of Sendakiana in the world—is the largest and most ambitious exhibition of Sendak’s work ever created and is now a traveling exhibition. It features original artwork, rare sketches, never-before-seen working materials, and exclusive interview footage. The exhibition draws on a total of over 300 objects, providing a unique experience with each set of illustrations.

Exhibition highlights include the following:

Original color artwork from books such as ''Where the Wild Things Are'', ''In the Night Kitchen'', ''The Nutshell Library'', ''Outside Over There'', and ''Brundibar'';

“Dummy” books filled with lively preliminary sketches for titles like ''The Sign on Rosie’s Door'', ''Pierre'', and ''Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!'';

Never-before-seen working materials, such as newspaper clippings that inspired Sendak, family portraits, photographs of child models and other ephemera;

Rare sketches for unpublished editions of stories such as Tolkien’s ''The Hobbit'' and Henry James’ ''The Turn of the Screw'', and other illustrating projects;

Unique materials from the Rosenbach collection that relate to Sendak’s work, including an 1853 edition of the tales of the Brothers Grimm, sketches by William Blake, and Herman Melville’s bookcase;

Stories told by the illustrator himself on topics like ''Alice in Wonderland'', his struggle to illustrate his favorite novels, hilarious stories of Brooklyn, and the way his work helps him exorcise childhood traumas.

Awards and honors

Caldecott Medal for ''Where the Wild Things Are'', 1964 Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's book illustration, 1970 National Book Award in category Picture Books for ''Outside Over There'', 1982 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, 1983 National Medal of Arts, 1996.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, 2003 (shared with Christine Nöstlinger)

Sendak was honored in North Hollywood, California, where an elementary school was named after him.

Bibliography

Author

''Kenny's Window'' (1956)

''Very Far Away'' (1957)

''The Sign on Rosie's Door'' (1960)

''The Nutshell Library'' (1962)

* ''Alligators All Around (An Alphabet)''

* ''Chicken Soup with Rice (A Book of Months)''

* ''One Was Johnny (A Counting Book)''

* ''Pierre (A Cautionary Tale)''

''Where the Wild Things Are'' (1963)

''Let's Be Enemies'' (written by Janice May Udry) (1965)

''Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life'' (1967) ISBN 0-06-028479-X

''In the Night Kitchen'' (1970)

''Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Book with Mino the Magician'' (1970)

''Some Swell Pup or Are You Sure You Want a Dog?'' (written by Maurice Sendak & Matthew Margolis, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak) (1976)

''Seven Little Monsters'' (1977)

''Fantasy Sketches'' (1981)

''Outside Over There'' (1981)

''Caldecott and Co: Notes on Books and Pictures'' (an anthology of essays on children's literature) (1988)

''We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy'' (1993)

''Maurice Sendak's Christmas Mystery'' (1995) (a box containing a book and a jigsaw puzzle)

''Mommy?'' (Sendak's first pop-up book) (2006) ISBN 0-439-88050-5

''Bumble-Ardy'' (2011) ISBN 0-06-205198-9, ISBN 978-0-06-205198-1

Illustrator

''Atomics for the Millions'' (by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff) (1947)

''The Wonderful Farm'' (by Marcel Aymé) (1951)

''Good Shabbos Everybody'' (by Robert Garvey) (1951)

''A Hole is to Dig'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1952)

''A Very Special House'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1953)

''Hurry Home Candy'' (by Meindert DeJong) (1953)

''The Giant Story'' (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers) (1953)

''The Tin Fiddle'' (by Edward Tripp) (1954)

''The Wheel on the School'' (by Meindert DeJong) (1954)

''Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm'' (by Betty MacDonald) (1954)

''Happy Hanukah Everybody'' (by Hyman Chanover & Alice Chanover) (1955)

''Little Cow & the Turtle'' (by Meindert DeJong) (1955)

''Singing Family of the Cumberlands'' (by Jean Ritchie) (Oxford University Press, 1955)

''What Can You Do with a Shoe?'' (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers) (1955, re-colored 1997)

''Seven Little Stories on Big Subjects'' (by Gladys Baker Bond) (1955)

''I Want to Paint My Bathroom Blue'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1956)

''The Birthday Party'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1957)

''Little Bear'', by Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Sendak (there was also a TV series based on this series of books)

* ''Little Bear'' (1957)

* ''Father Bear Comes Home'' (1959)

* ''Little Bear's Friend'' (1960)

* ''Little Bear's Visit'' (1961)

* ''A Kiss for Little Bear'' (1968)

''Along Came a Dog'' (by Meindert DeJong) (1958)

''No Fighting, No Biting!'' (by Else Holmelund Minarik) (1958)

''What Do You Say, Dear?'' (by Sesyle Joslin) (1958)

''Seven Tales by H. C. Andersen'' (translated by Eva Le Gallienne) (1959)

''The Moon Jumpers'' (by Janice May Udry)(1959)

''Open House for Butterflies'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1960)

''Best in Children's Books: Volume 31'' (various authors and illustrators: featuring, ''Windy Wash Day and Other Poems'' by Dorothy Aldis, illustrations by Sendak) (1960)

''Best in Children's Books: Volume 41'' (various authors and illustrators: featuring, ''What the Good-Man Does Is Always Right'' by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrations by Sendak (1961)

''Let's Be Enemies'' (by Janice Udry) (1961)

''What Do You Do, Dear?'' (by Sesyle Joslin) (1961)

''The Big Green Book'' (by Robert Graves) (1962)

''Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present'' (by Charlotte Zolotow) (1962)

''The Singing Hill'' (by Meindert DeJong) (1962) (Harper Row)

''Dwarf Long-Nose'' (by Wilhelm Hauff, translated by Doris Orgel) (1963)

''The Griffin and the Minor Canon'' (by Frank R. Stockton) (1963)

''How Little Lori Visited Times Square'' (by Amos Vogel) (1963)

''She Loves Me...She Loves Me Not...'' (by Robert Keeshan AKA Captain Kangaroo) (1963)

''McCall's: August 1964; VOL XCI, No 11'' (featuring ''The Young Crane'' by Andrejs Upits, Illustrated by Sendak)

''The Bee-Man of Orn'' (by Frank R. Stockton) (1964)

''The Animal Family'' (by Randall Jarrell) (1965)

''Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water: Two Nursery Rhymes'' (traditional nursery rhymes) (1965)

''Lullabyes and Night Songs'' (by Alec Wilder, edited by William Engvick) (1965)

''Zlateh The Goat'' (by Isaac Bashevis Singer) (1966)

''The Bat-Poet'' (by Randall Jarrell) (1964)

''The House of Sixty Fathers'' (by Meindert De Jong) (1966)

''The Saturday Evening Post: May 4, 1968; 241st year, Issue no. 9'' (features ''Yash The Chimney Sweep'' by Isaac Bashevis Singer)

''I'll Be You and You Be Me'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1973)

''The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm: Volumes 1 & 2'' (translated by Lore Segal with four tales translated by Randall Jarrell) (1973 both volumes)

''King Grisly-Beard'' (by Brothers Grimm) (1973)

''Pleasant Fieldmouse'' (by Jan Wahl) (1975)

''Charlotte and the White Horse'' (by Ruth Krauss) (1955)

''Fly by Night'' (by Randall Jarrell) (1976)

''The Light Princess'' (by George MacDonald) (1977)

''Shadrach'' (by Meindert Dejong) (1977)

''The Big Green Book'' (by Robert Graves) (1978)

''Nutcracker'' (by E.T.A. Hoffmann) (1984)

''The Love for Three Oranges'' (The Glyndebourne Version, by Frank Corsaro based on ''L'Amour des Trois Oranges'' (by Serge Prokofiev) (1984)

''Circus Girl'' (by Jack Sendak) (1985)

''In Grandpa's House'' (by Philip Sendak) (1985)

''The Cunning Little Vixen'' (by Rudolf Tesnohlidek) (1985)

''Dear Mili'' (written by Wilhelm Grimm) (1988)

''Sing a Song of Popcorn'' (by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers with various illustrators including Sendak) (1988)

'' The Big Book for Peace'' (various authors and illustrators, cover also by Sendak) (1990)

''I Saw Esau'' (edited by Iona Opie and Peter Opie) (1992)

''The Golden Key'' (by George MacDonald) (1992) ISBN 0-374-42590-6

''We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures'' (traditional nursery rhymes) (Harper Collins) (1993)

''Pierre: or, The Ambiguities: The Kraken Edition'' (by Herman Melville) (1995) ISBN 978-0-06-118009-5

''The Miami Giant'' (by Arthur Yorinks) (1995)

''Frank and Joey Go to Work'' (by Arthur Yorinks), also has additional illustrations by Ky Chung (1996)

''Penthesilea'' (by Heinrich von Kleist, translated and introduced by Joel Agee) (1998) ISBN 0-06-095632-1

''Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom'' (by Ursula Nordstrom, edited by Leonard S. Marcus) ISBN 0-06-023625-6

''Swine Lake'' (by James Marshall) (1999)

''Brundibár'' (by Tony Kushner) (2003)

''Sarah's Room'' (by Doris Orgel) (2003)

''The Happy Rain'' (by Jack Sendak) (2004)

''Bears!'' (by Ruth Krauss) (2005)

Collections

''The Art of Maurice Sendak'' (by Selma G. Lanes) (1980) ISBN 0-8109-1600-2

''The Art of Maurice Sendak: From 1980 to the Present'' (by Tony Kushner) (2003) ISBN 0-8109-4448-0

''Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation '' (by Gregory Maguire) (2009) ISBN 0-06-168916-5

Filmography

1973: ''Where the Wild Things Are'' (story)

2009: ''Where The Wild Things Are'' (story)

2009: ''Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak'', documentary filmed by Lance Bangs and Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze. Released in the US on DVD by Oscilloscope Laboratories. 2010: ''Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life'' (story), an animated/live action short adapted and directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (Clyde Henry Productions), produced by Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay and Marcy Page (National Film Board of Canada)

References

External links

"TateShots: Maurice Sendak", a five-minute interview, Tate Museum, 22 December 2011; "look back over his literary career, discuss his love for William Blake and hear why he believes that as an artist, ‘you just have to take the dive’".

"Fresh Air Remembers Author Maurice Sendak", ''Fresh Air'' (NPR), May 8, 2012. With links to/excerpts of interviews in 1986, 1989, 1993, 2003 (re: ''Brundibár''), 2009 ("Looking Back On ''Wild Things'' ...") and 2011 ("This Pig Wants To Party: Maurice Sendak's Latest").

"Maurice Sendak: ''Where the Wild Things Are''", ''NOW on PBS'', interview by Bill Moyers, 2004. Other links: NOW: "The History of ''Brundibar''"; American Masters: "Maurice Sendak"; HBO: "A Portrait of Maurice Sendak".

PBS: American Masters A one-minute video clip

NPR: Conversation with Maurice Sendak. A seventeen-minute audio interview by Jennifer Ludden, June 4, 2005.

"Maurice Sendak", KCRW Bookworm Interview by Michael Silverblatt, May 18, 1992; "talks about ''The Nutcracker'' and the process of writing a book that became a classic."

The Rosenbach Museum and Library Exhibition space for Sendak drawings

"Remembering Maurice Sendak through his Stephen Colbert interview", ''LA Times'' Showtracker blog, May 8, 2012. Highlights of one of Sendak's last public interviews; with Stephen Colbert; "months before his passing" (n.d.); with links to two-part interview at ''ColbertNation.com''.

Category:Children's book illustrators Category:1928 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American atheists Category:American children's writers Category:American philanthropists Category:Art Students League of New York alumni Category:Caldecott Medal winners Category:Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration winners Category:Jewish American writers Category:Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal winners Category:Gay Jews Category:LGBT artists from the United States Category:LGBT writers from the United States Category:Gay writers Category:National Book Award winners Category:Opera designers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Ridgefield, Connecticut Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:Deaths from stroke Category:Jewish atheists Category:American writers of Polish descent Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Writers who illustrated their own writing

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Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934, Bradford, Pennsylvania) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.

Biography

Horne was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, but moved with her parents to Long Beach, California, when she was 11. At the age of 13, she became part of the newly formed Los Angeles Concert Youth Chorus. She attended the University of Southern California where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. She is an alumna of Long Beach Polytechnic High School and returned in 1989 in a performance to benefit its music program. As a high school student, Marilyn was part of the St. Luke's Choir of Long Beach under the direction of William Ripley Dorr. This prestigious choir often worked for the movie studios and recorded on Capitol Records. Marilyn and her sister Gloria were part of St. Luke's Quartet along with tenor, Bob James and Baritone, Philip D. Haynes.

She studied voice under William Vennard at the University of Southern California School of Music and participated in Lotte Lehmann's vocal master classes.

Career

Horne's first major professional engagement was in 1954, when she dubbed the singing voice of Dorothy Dandridge in the film ''Carmen Jones''. Until that point, she had worked as a background singer for several TV sitcoms, as well as recorded covers of popular songs of the early 1950s, which were sold in dimestores around the country for $1.98. She made an appearance on ''The Odd Couple'' as a character named "Jackie," her own nickname, a meek and nervous would-be singer who develops into a full-blown diva and essays the role of Carmen with brilliant results; she also sang on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. She made her Los Angeles debut the same year when she performed the role of Hata in ''The Bartered Bride'' with the Los Angeles Guild Opera.

Her first major breakthrough came when her singing ability was recognized by Igor Stravinsky; her operatic career began when he invited her to perform in the 1956 Venice festival. She remained in Europe for three seasons singing for the Gelsenkirchen Opera.

She was highly acclaimed for her performance as Marie in Alban Berg's ''Wozzeck'' at the inauguration of Gelsenkirchen's new opera house on May 22, 1960. In 1964, she returned to the United States to appear in ''Wozzeck'' at the San Francisco Opera.

For many years, Horne was associated with the Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland in their performances of the bel canto repertoire. They first performed together in a concert version of Vincenzo Bellini's ''Beatrice di Tenda'' at The Town Hall in Manhattan in February 1961. This performance was so successful, it was repeated twice at Carnegie Hall. In 1965, they were paired again in a performance of Rossini's ''Semiramide'' with the Opera Company of Boston, and sang Lakmé's Flower Duet together in 1979—Sutherland changed her costume during the interval, something that had not previously been done.

Horne made her debut at the Royal Opera House in October 1964 as Marie in ''Wozzeck''. Her La Scala debut was as Jocasta in Stravinsky's opéra-oratorio ''Œdipus rex'' on March 13, 1969. Another of Horne's breakthroughs occurred that same year during a performance of Rossini's Le siège de Corinthe at La Scala, when Horne received a remarkable mid-act seven-minute ovation. Horne made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1970 as Adalgisa in Bellini's ''Norma'' with Sutherland in the title role. She thereafter appeared regularly at the Met, opening the 1972/1973 season as Carmen. A great success there was in Meyerbeer's ''Le prophète'', in John Dexter's production. In 1984, she sang the title role of Handel's opera seria ''Rinaldo'' (directed by Frank Corsaro), the first Handel opera ever performed at the Met.

Although best known for her bel canto and opera seria roles, Horne also sang much American music, both contemporary music by composers such as William Bolcom, and traditional popular songs. She can be heard on the soundtrack of ''Flower Drum Song'' singing "Love, Look Away" and sings the role of Lady Thiang on the Philips recording of ''The King and I'' starring Julie Andrews and Ben Kingsley. She had previously sung in the women's chorus for the 1956 film version of ''The King and I''.

Horne was married from 1960 to 1979 (separated 1974) to the conductor Henry Lewis, with whom she maintained a home in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles for many years, and with whom she had a daughter, Angela.

In 1983, she published (with co-writer Jane Scovell) a candid autobiography, ''My Life,'' and a continuation volume, ''Marilyn Horne, The Song Continues'', appeared in 2004.

Horne received many honors during her career. A ''New York Times'' article by Robert Jacobson, editor of ''Opera News'', in celebration of the Met's 100th anniversary in 1983, listed the hundred greatest singers who had ever performed at the house and included Horne, the only one still actively singing at the time. She was awarded Yale University's Sanford Medal. In 1992 she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

In January 1993, Horne sang "Make A Rainbow", by American singer and songwriter Portia Nelson, and the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" at the inauguration of US President Bill Clinton.

Horne retired from the concert stage in 1999 with a recital at the Chicago Symphony Center. She still occasionally performs at pop concerts (most recently with Broadway star Barbara Cook), her voice undimmed by age. Horne has also established the Marilyn Horne Foundation to help preserve the art of vocal recitals. She teaches a series of annual Master Classes at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music; the University of Maryland, College Park; the Manhattan School of Music; and the University of Oklahoma.

In December 2005, shortly before Horne's 72nd birthday, she was diagnosed with localized pancreatic cancer. In January 2007, she appeared at a public function for her Foundation. Interviewed by Norman Lebrecht on BBC Radio 3 on 26 July 2010 she spoke briefly about her cancer and cheerfully said, "I'm still here!"

Ms. Horne has directed the acclaimed Voice Program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, since 1997.

Abridged discography

Bellini: ''Norma'' (Sutherland, J. Alexander, Cross; Bonynge, 1964) Decca

Bernstein: ''West Side Story'' (Te Kanawa, Troyanos, Carreras; Bernstein, 1984) Deutsche Grammophon

Bizet: ''Carmen'' (Maliponte, McCracken, Krause; Bernstein, 1972) Deutsche Grammophon

Donizetti: ''Anna Bolena'' (Souliotis, J. Alexander, Ghiaurov; Varviso, 1968/69) Decca

Donizetti: ''Lucrezia Borgia'' (Sutherland, Aragall, Wixell; Bonynge, 1977) Decca

Gluck: ''Orfeo ed Euridice'' (Lorengar, Donath; Solti, 1970) Decca

Handel: ''Semele'' (Battle, Ramey; Nelson, 1990) Deutsche Grammophon

Massenet: ''La navarraise'' (Domingo, Milnes, Zaccaria; Lewis, 1975) RCA

Meyerbeer: ''Le prophète'' (Scotto, McCracken, Hines; Lewis, c1976) Sony

Mozart: ''Don Giovanni'' (Sutherland, Lorengar, Krenn, Bacquier, Gramm; Bonynge, 1968) Decca

Ponchielli: ''La Gioconda'' (Tebaldi, Dominguez, Bergonzi, Merrill; Gardelli, 1967) Decca

Puccini: ''Suor Angelica'' (Scotto, Cotrubas; Maazel, 1976) Sony

Rossini: ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' (Barbacini, Nucci, Dara, Ramey; R.Chailly, 1982) Sony

Rossini: ''Bianca e Falliero'' (Ricciarelli, Merritt; Renzetti, 1986) [live] Fonit Cetra

Rossini: ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (Battle, Ramey; Scimone, 1980) Erato

Rossini: ''Semiramide'' (Sutherland, Rouleau; Bonynge, 1965/66) Decca

Rossini: ''Tancredi'' (Cuberli, Zaccaria; Weikert, 1982) Sony

Roussel: ''Padmâvatî'' (Gedda, van Dam; Plasson, 1982/83) EMI

Thomas: ''Mignon'' (Welting, von Stade, Vanzo, Zaccaria; de Almeida, 1977) Sony

Verdi: ''Falstaff'' (Sweet, Lopardo, Panerai, Titus; C.Davis, 1991) RCA

Verdi: ''Requiem'' (Sutherland, Horne, Pavarotti, Talvela; Solti, 1967) Decca

Verdi: ''Il trovatore'' (Sutherland, Pavarotti, Wixell, Ghiaurov; Bonynge, 1976) Decca

Vivaldi: ''Orlando furioso'' (de los Ángeles, Valentini Terrani; Scimone, 1977) Erato

Abridged videography

Corigliano: ''The Ghosts of Versailles'' (Stratas, Fleming; Levine, Graham, 1992) [live] Deutsche Grammophon

Rossini: ''L'italiana in Algeri'' (M.Merritt, Ahlstedt; Levine, Ponnelle, 1986) [live] Deutsche Grammophon

Rossini: ''Semiramide'' (Anderson, Ramey; Conlon, Copley, 1990) [live] Kultur

Verdi: ''Falstaff'' (Freni, Bonney, Lopardo, Plishka; Levine, Zeffirelli, 1992) [live] Deutsche Grammophon

Vivaldi: ''Orlando furioso'' (Behr, Pizzi, 1989) [live] Kultur

Works

''Marilyn Horne: The Song Continues'' by Marilyn Horne and Jane Scovell, Baskerville Publishers; ISBN 1880909715

''Marilyn Horne: My Life'' by Marilyn Horne and Jane Scovell, Atheneum Books; ISBN 068911401X

Sources

External links

IMDb

The Marilyn Horne Foundation

Discography (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)

Category:1934 births Category:American female singers Category:American opera singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:Operatic mezzo-sopranos Category:Pancreatic cancer survivors Category:People from Echo Park, Los Angeles Category:People from Bradford, Pennsylvania Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:African American opera singers Category:African American female singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos

bg:Мерилин Хорн ca:Marilyn Horne de:Marilyn Horne es:Marilyn Horne fr:Marilyn Horne it:Marilyn Horne he:מרילין הורן nl:Marilyn Horne ja:マリリン・ホーン pl:Marilyn Horne pt:Marilyn Horne sr:Мерилин Хорн fi:Marilyn Horne sv:Marilyn Horne

Stefka Evstatieva (born 7 May 1947) is a Bulgarian operatic soprano. Born in Ruse, she studied voice at the State Academy of Music in Sofia with Elena Kisselova. She began her career with the Ruse Opera where she made her debut as Amelia in ''Un ballo in maschera'' and sang there from 1971 to 1979. In 1974 Stefka Evstatieva won the second prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. (No first prize was awarded). In 1978 she won the Grand Prize of Belgian Radio & TV Belcanto Competition; in 1979 Grand Prize and Golden Ring in the Young Singers Competition in Sofia; and in 1982 the Best Performance Award at the Arena di Verona.

She joined the Sofia National Opera in 1978, and began to appear internationally two years later with debuts at the Vienna State Opera in 1980, the Munich State Opera and the Royal Opera in 1981 and the Arena di Verona and La Scala in 1983. Additional engagements included Paris, Rome, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Canada and Frankfurt. Her debut in the United States was singing Lisa in ''The Queen of Spades'' with the Philadelphia Opera in 1983, then followed performances in San Francisco and Dallas in 1984 and 1986, with additional engagements in New Orleans, Miami and Baltimore. Her Metropolitan Opera debut was on April 9, 1984 singing Élisabeth de Valois in ''Don Carlos''.

In addition to performing as a concert singer her major operatic roles included Aida, Donna Elvira, Desdemona, Leonora in ''Forza del Destino'', Maddalena in ''Andrea Chénier'', Élisabeth de Valois in Don Carlos, Amelia and the Russian roles of Lisa and Tatyana.

Sources

Henshenson, Roberta, "Tosca' Helps Reveal a Woman's Character", ''New York Times'' 15 October 1995

Metropolitan Opera, Performance record: Evstatieva, Stefka (Soprano) on the MetOpera Database

O'Connor, John, Review: "Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades", ''New York Times'', 9 April 1984

University of Pittsburgh, (University Center for International Studies), Stefka Evstatieva, soprano

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Bulgarian female singers Category:Bulgarian opera singers Category:People from Ruse, Bulgaria

es:Stefka Evstatieva fr:Stefka Evstatieva