Patricia Craig
Encyclopedia
Patricia Craig is an American
operatic soprano
and voice teacher.
, graduating in 1965. Craig gained her first critical vocal acclaim as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
. Her performing career spans more than three decades of major roles in the leading opera houses of the world. She made her Metropolitan Opera
debut in 1978 as Marenka in The Bartered Bride
, under James Levine
, in John Dexter
's production. Met audiences heard her for the next twelve seasons in a variety of leading roles in operas, including Madama Butterfly
, Dialogues of the Carmelites
, La Bohème
, and Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. Craig is a specialist in Puccini and Verdi heroines whose other operatic credits include performances with New York City Opera
; Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Italy; the Festival of Two Worlds in both Spoleto, Italy, and Charleston, South Carolina; L’Opéra de Marseilles; and the companies of Cincinnati, Miami, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Concert performances include Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
under Seiji Ozawa
.
. Several of her students have gained recognition in national competitions; others are singing with major opera companies in the United States and abroad. Craig has studied and collaborated with prominent artists including Donald Craig, Marenka Gurevitch, Magda Olivero
, James de Blasis, Henry Lewis, Jeffrey Tate
, Diane Richardson, Joan Dornemann, Martin Katz
, Warren Jones, Anton Coppola
, and Julius Rudel
.
In addition to her private voice studio in Alameda and teaching masterclasses she has taught at AIMS in Graz, Austria
, and the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute (BASOTI), where she collaborated for many years with her late husband, the Wagnerian tenor and voice teacher Richard Cassilly
. Craig serves as Founding Chairman of the Board of Overseers for Opera Boston
, and advisor to Boston Lyric Opera
, and the Bel Canto Institute. She has been a competition adjudicator for organizations including the Metropolitan Opera
, the Baltimore Opera, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
operatic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and voice teacher.
Operatic career
Born Patricia Duncklee in Long Island, New York, she studied music education at Ithaca CollegeIthaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
, graduating in 1965. Craig gained her first critical vocal acclaim as a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera. Established in 1954, its purpose is to discover, assist, promote, and develop young opera singers. The competition is held in four stages: Districts, Regional, Semi-Final, and...
. Her performing career spans more than three decades of major roles in the leading opera houses of the world. She made her Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
debut in 1978 as Marenka in The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride
The Bartered Bride is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The opera is considered to have made a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It was composed during the period 1863–66, and first performed at the...
, under James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
, in John Dexter
John Dexter
John Dexter was an English theatre, opera, and film director.- Theatre :Born in Derby, England, Dexter left school at the age of fourteen to serve in the British army during World War II. Following the war, he began working as a stage actor before turning to producing and directing shows for...
's production. Met audiences heard her for the next twelve seasons in a variety of leading roles in operas, including Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
, Dialogues of the Carmelites
Dialogues of the Carmelites
Dialogues of the Carmelites , is an opera in three acts by Francis Poulenc. In 1953, M. Valcarenghi approached Poulenc to commission a ballet for La Scala in Milan; when Poulenc found the proposed subject uninspiring, Valcarenghi suggested instead a screenplay by Georges Bernanos, based on the...
, La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, and Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny. Craig is a specialist in Puccini and Verdi heroines whose other operatic credits include performances with New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
; Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Italy; the Festival of Two Worlds in both Spoleto, Italy, and Charleston, South Carolina; L’Opéra de Marseilles; and the companies of Cincinnati, Miami, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Concert performances include Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades (opera)
The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
under Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
.
Teaching career
Craig joined the New England Conservatory faculty in 1990, where she taught until retiring from there in 2010, when she became a member of the voice faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
. Several of her students have gained recognition in national competitions; others are singing with major opera companies in the United States and abroad. Craig has studied and collaborated with prominent artists including Donald Craig, Marenka Gurevitch, Magda Olivero
Magda Olivero
Magda Olivero is a soprano of the verismo-school of singing. She was born in Saluzzo, Italy. Olivero made her operatic debut in 1932 on Turin radio in Cattozzo’s oratorio I misteri dolorosi. She performed widely and increasingly successfully until 1941, when she married and retired from performing...
, James de Blasis, Henry Lewis, Jeffrey Tate
Jeffrey Tate
Dr Jeffrey Tate CBE is an English conductor.Tate was born with spina bifida, and also has kyphosis. His family moved to Farnham, Surrey when he was young and he attended Farnham Grammar School between 1954 and 1961 gaining a State Scholarship to Cambridge University, where he directed theatre...
, Diane Richardson, Joan Dornemann, Martin Katz
Martin Katz
Martin Katz is an American pianist, educator and conductor, primarily known for his work as an accompanist.Over his 30 years as a performer, Mr...
, Warren Jones, Anton Coppola
Anton Coppola
Maestro Anton Coppola is an American opera conductor and composer. He is the uncle of film director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, as well as the great-uncle of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Gian-Carlo Coppola , Jason Schwartzman and Robert Schwartzman.-Life:Coppola started his...
, and Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel is an American opera and orchestra conductor who emigrated to the United States from Austria at the age of 17 and studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He then forged a 35-year career with the New York City Opera, from 1944 to 1979, and was the Music...
.
In addition to her private voice studio in Alameda and teaching masterclasses she has taught at AIMS in Graz, Austria
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, and the Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute (BASOTI), where she collaborated for many years with her late husband, the Wagnerian tenor and voice teacher Richard Cassilly
Richard Cassilly
Richard Cassilly was an American operatic tenor who had a major international opera career between 1954 and 1990...
. Craig serves as Founding Chairman of the Board of Overseers for Opera Boston
Opera Boston
Opera Boston is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specializes in innovative repertoire and rarely heard works, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to children, in schools and after-school programs throughout the Boston area.Its home base is...
, and advisor to Boston Lyric Opera
Boston Lyric Opera
Boston Lyric Opera is an American opera company based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1976.Each season, BLO produces three mainstage productions at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre in Boston and a fully staged, one-hour English language version of a popular opera for school...
, and the Bel Canto Institute. She has been a competition adjudicator for organizations including the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, the Baltimore Opera, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Sources
- Apone, Carl, "Met Soprano Patricia Craig Making Pittsburgh A Second Home", Pittsburgh PressPittsburgh PressThe Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
, October 9, 1983, pp. G1 and G4 - New England Conservatory of MusicNew England Conservatory of MusicThe New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
, Biography: Patricia Craig - Rich, Maria F. (ed,), "Craig, Patricia", Who's Who in Opera, Arno Press, 1976, p. 113. ISBN 040506652X
- San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
, Patricia Craig - Tommasini, Anthony, Richard Cassilly, American Tenor, Dies at 70, New York Times, February 4, 1998