Dolora Zajick (born 24 March 1952) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer who specializes in the Verdian repertoire. Zajick has been described as having "one of the greatest voices in the history of opera".

Early life

Born in Salem, Oregon, but raised in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, Zajick was a pre-med student at the University of Nevada, Reno and member of the Nevada Opera chorus, when her talent was first noticed. Zajick had taken a chorus class as an elective at UNR. She then studied voice with Ted Puffer, conductor of Nevada Opera, whom she credits with developing her vocal technique and guiding her in career moves, especially early in her performing career. Zajick attended South Tahoe High School in South Lake Tahoe, California, and is a Wall of Honor Recipient. She graduated from the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12 ...

with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in music before going to New York for further music studies at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1982 she won the Bronze Medal at the 7th

International Tchaikovsky Competition The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, the only non-Soviet medalist that year and the first American musician to place in the contest in over twelve years. After this and graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, she was offered a place in the San Francisco Opera's Merola Program, she debuted with the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

as Azucena in ''

Il Trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' in 1986, which launched her to international acclaim.

Career

Dolora Zajick at Berlin Opera, July 2016

In addition to the role of Azucena, Zajick is well known for her interpretations of Amneris and Eboli (in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'' and ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

'' respectively). Zajick has also performed in other

roles, including Ulrica in ''

Un ballo in maschera ''Un ballo in maschera'' ''(A Masked Ball)'' is an 1859 opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The text, by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, '' Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué''. Th ...

'' and Lady Macbeth in '' Macbeth''. She has also appeared as the Princess in Cilèa's '' Adriana Lecouvreur'', Marfa in

Moussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

's ''

Khovanshchina ''Khovanshchina'' ( rus, Хованщина, , xɐˈvanʲɕːɪnə, Ru-Khovanshchina_version.ogg, sometimes rendered ''The Khovansky Affair'') is an opera (subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was writt ...

'', Ježibaba in Dvořák's '' Rusalka'', Joan of Arc in

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' The Maid of Orleans'', Santuzza in Mascagni's ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play ...

'', Adalgisa in Bellini's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) *555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

'', Dalila in Saint-Saëns' ''

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (french: Samson et Dalila, links=no), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater ( ...

'', the title role in

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884) ...

's ''

Hérodiade ''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels ...

'' and Léonor in

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...

's ''

La favorite ''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', sometimes referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...

''. In 2005, she created the role of Elvira Griffiths in

Tobias Picker Tobias Picker (born July 18, 1954) is an American composer, artistic director, and pianist, noted for his orchestral works ''Old and Lost Rivers'', ''Keys To The City'', and ''The Encantadas'', as well as his operas ''Emmeline'', ''Fantastic Mr. ...

's ''

An American Tragedy ''An American Tragedy'' is a 1925 novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. He began the manuscript in the summer of 1920, but a year later abandoned most of that text. It was based on the notorious murder of Grace Brown in 1906 and the trial of ...

'' at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. In recent years, while continuing to sing her established repertoire, she has added the roles of the Countess in Tchaikovsky’s '' The Queen of Spades'', La Zia Principessa in

Puccini Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...

's ''

Suor Angelica ''Suor Angelica'' (''Sister Angelica'') is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as ''Il trittico'' (''The Triptych''). It received its wo ...

'', made her

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

debut as Ortrud in ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...

'', her Poulenc debut as Madame de Croissy in ''

Dialogues des Carmélites ' (''Dialogues of the Carmelites''), FP 159, is an opera in three acts, divided into twelve scenes with linking orchestral interludes, with music and libretto by Francis Poulenc, completed in 1956. The composer's second opera, Poulenc wrote the ...

''), and her Britten debut as Mrs. Grose in ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...

.''

Composer

In August, 2014 Zajick’s first public composition, an opera scene titled "Roads to Zion" was premiered at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose, CA. The work was written for performance during the celebrations by the Carmelite Order of the 500th anniversary of the birth of St Teresa of Avila and is available in a commercial recording. It sets a text derived from Psalm 84 and is in three parts: 1) "A Soul Yearns", 2) "A Soul Takes Flight" and 3) "A Soul Returns". The first and third parts contain dialogues between soloists and choir, while the middle movement is purely instrumental. Reviewers praised the "accomplished vocal and instrumental writing ... that delivered its message in a resonant, almost beatific, glow" and noted that "this music created an intense experience. Its impressive orchestration and unified architectural design made it a most fascinating piece". A second work, "Birdsong", was premiered by Chanticleer in March 2015 at the 2nd National Youth Choral Festival in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Davies Symphony Hall Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall is the concert hall component of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, California. The 2,743-seat hall was completed in 1980 at a cost of US$28 million to give the San Francisco ...

. This piece is a setting of a poem from the anthology ''

I Never Saw Another Butterfly ''I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944'' is a collection of works of art and poetry by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. They were created at ...

''.

Recordings

Recording dates are used, rather than release dates.

CD

*1986: Verdi's '' La forza del destino'' (Preziosilla) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala, Riccardo Muti. EMI *1987:

's ''

Messa da Requiem The ''Messa da Requiem'' is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass ( Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired. The first performance, at ...

'' Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala Riccardo Muti. EMI *1990: Verdi's ''

'' (Amneris) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine. Sony *1991: Verdi's ''Il trovatore'' (Azucena) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine. Sony *1991: Sergei Prokofiev, Prokofiev's ''Ivan the Terrible (Prokofiev), Ivan the Terrible''/''Alexander Nevsky (Prokofiev), Alexander Nevsky'' (Nevsky) London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Mstislav Rostropovich. Sony *1992: Verdi's ''Don Carlos, Don Carlo'' (Eboli) Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine. Sony *1994: Jules Massenet, Massenet's ''

'' (Hérodiade)

Orchestra and Chorus, Valery Gergiev. Sony *1996: Metropolitan Opera Gala: James Levine’s 25th Anniversary. Deutsche Grammophon CD *1998: Dvořák's '' Rusalka'' (Ježibaba) Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Mackerras, Sir Charles Mackerras. Decca *1999: Dolora Zajick The art of the dramatic mezzo-soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Rosenkrans. Telarc *2014: Living Water: celebrating St Teresa of Avila's 500th Birthday (including ''Roads to Zion''), CD available from Carmel of Reno website

DVD and streaming video

*1988: Verdi's ''Il trovatore'' (Azucena) with Eva Marton as Leonora. Metropolitan Opera, James Levine. Met Opera on Demand SD streaming video; also Deutsche Grammophon DVD *1989: Verdi's ''

'' (Amneris) with Aprile Millo as Aida. Metropolitan Opera, James Levine. Met Opera on Demand SD streaming video; also Deutsche Grammophon DVD *1996: ''James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala'', Metropolitan Opera, James Levine. Deutsche Grammophon DVD B0004602-09 *1998: Pavarotti's 30th Anniversary Gala. Metropolitan Opera, James Levine. Met Opera on Demand SD streaming video *2008: Verdi's ''Don Carlo'' (Eboli) Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Chorus, Daniele Gatti. Hardy Classic Video *2009: Verdi's ''Aida'' (Amneris) with Violeta Urmana as Aida. Metropolitan Opera, Daniele Gatti. Met Opera on Demand HD streaming video; Decca DVD *2011: Verdi's ''Il trovatore'' (Azucena) with Sondra Radvanovsky as Leonora. Metropolitan Opera, Marco Armiliato. Met Opera on Demand HD streaming video; also Deutsche Grammophon DVD *2014: Dvořák's '' Rusalka'' (Jezibaba) with Renée Fleming as Rusalka. Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Met Opera on Demand HD streaming video *2015: Verdi's ''Il trovatore'' (Azucena) with Anna Netrebko as Leonora. Metropolitan Opera, Marco Armiliato. Met Opera on Demand HD streaming video

Notes

External links

*
The Institute for Young Dramatic Voices
by Bruce Duffie, January 3, 1989 (Very early in her career)
Interview with Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air", 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zajick, Dolora American operatic mezzo-sopranos 1952 births Living people Richard Tucker Award winners Manhattan School of Music alumni University of Nevada alumni Musicians from Nevada Musicians from Salem, Oregon Singers from Oregon 20th-century American women opera singers 21st-century American women opera singers South Lake Tahoe, California, People from Classical musicians from Oregon