Betty Jones (1930 – November 7, 2019) was an American operatic

spinto soprano A spinto soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that has the limpidity and easy high notes of a lyric soprano, yet can be "pushed" on to achieve dramatic climaxes without strain. This type of voice may also possess a somewhat darker timbre tha ...

, who did not begin her career until the age of forty-one. Jones was born in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

. Having been an Art major at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

, in 1971 Jones made her professional debut in two secondary roles in the Boston Opera Group's production of ''Louise'', staged by

Sarah Caldwell Sarah Caldwell (March 6, 1924March 23, 2006) was an American opera conductor, impresario, and stage director. Early life Caldwell was born in Maryville, Missouri, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville ( ) is the List of cit ...

, with Carol Neblett in the title role. She then appeared with the

Chicago Lyric Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included ...

, as Marianne in ''Der Rosenkavalier'', with

Christa Ludwig Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and sometime dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symph ...

and Judith Blegen. Her first major role was the name part of ''Aida'', for the

Seattle Opera Seattle Opera is an American opera company based in Seattle, Washington. The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of eight to ten performances each, often featuring double casts in major roles to all ...

. Her debut at the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

occurred in the fall of 1974, as Amelia in ''Un ballo in maschera''. She returned to that company in 1976, for the Contessa in ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (opposite Susanne Marsee as Cherubino), Amelia again (conducted by

Julius Rudel Julius Rudel (6 March 1921 – 26 June 2014) was an Austrian-born American opera and orchestra conductor. He was born in Vienna and was a student at the city's Academy of Music. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 in 1938 after th ...

), and Eva in ''Die Meistersinger''. Jones also sang in Mexico City (''Un ballo in maschera''), Wiesbaden (''Tosca''), Opera/South (Senta in ''Der fliegende Holländer'', conducted by Walter Herbert),

Opera Orchestra of New York The Opera Orchestra of New York (also known as OONY) specializes in the performance of opera in concert form. It is particularly known for its work in presenting rarely performed repertory. Among the numerous American premieres it has presented are ...

(''Oberon'', at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, with

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, better known as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final ...

), etc. In 1982, she performed Odabella in ''Attila'' (with

Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique which enabled him to sing the mu ...

) for the City Opera, which, following the discovery of a hearing loss, was her Farewell to opera. She died in Norwalk, Connecticut, on November 7, 2019 at the age of 89.

References

* ''Who's Who in Opera'', edited by Maria F. Rich, Arno Press, 1976. * ''The New York City Opera: An American Adventure'', by Martin L. Sokol (Annals by George Louis Mayer), Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc, 1981. * ''The Music In My Life'', by Betty Jones, 2014. * "Opera singer's 'unusual' story will be told," ''Wilton Bulletin'', by Kendra Baker, February 2, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Betty 1930 births 2019 deaths American operatic sopranos 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women opera singers African-American women opera singers Musicians from Plainfield, New Jersey Sarah Lawrence College alumni Classical musicians from New Jersey Singers from New Jersey 21st-century American women