Elizabeth Fischer Monastero was an American

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

and

voice teacher A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who assists adults and children in the development of their abilities in singing. Typical work A voice teacher works with a student singer to improve the various skills involved in sing ...

Life and career

Born Elizabeth Fischer and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, Fischer Monastero graduated with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance and music education from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1956. She also studied with tenor Richard Miller at the

Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts ( '; also known as I.C.A. or Inty) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit corporation which operates Visual arts education, arts education institutions and Music venue, performance venues. Established in 1928 b ...

and with Clara Bloomfield of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. She also obtained her Master of Music degree in Voice and Opera in Florence, Italy in June, 1957, from the Pius XII Institute of Fine Arts at Villa Schifanoia. In 1962 Fischer Monastero won the Euclid McBride Memorial Scholarship in the finals of the

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition (formerly 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 ...

. That same year she won the

American Opera Auditions The American Opera Auditions was a non-profit organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that organized an annual singing contest in both the United States and Italy from 1956 to 1990. The organization was founded by Cincinnati businessman and philan ...

which enabled her to study opera in Italy. Before leaving for Italy, she attended the

Music Academy of the West The Music Academy of the West is a summer classical music training program in Montecito, California, and festival with performances in the County of Santa Barbara. Overview The academy annually enrolls 136 pre-professional musicians in their ...

's summer conservatory. Shortly after she made her European debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan in September 1962 as Suzuki in

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

's ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

''; a role which she repeated that year at the

Teatro Comunale Florence The was an opera house in Florence, Italy. It was originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele, which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' and which ...

. Fischer Monastero made her debut at the

Lyric Opera of Chicago 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 (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...

in October 1962 as the Shepherd Boy in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' with

Régine Crespin Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French soprano who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto sopran ...

in the title role. She appeared in several more roles with the company over the next eight seasons, including Giovanna in ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'' with Renata Scotto and Kate Pinkerton in ''

'' among other roles. In 1963 she won the

National Federation of Music Clubs The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is an American non-profit philanthropic music organization that promotes American music, performers, and composers. NFMC endeavors to strengthen quality music education by supporting "high standards o ...

' Vocal Competition which led to her invitation to perform at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and other dignitaries with members of the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

. While working at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fischer Monastero met her husband, Salvatore Monastero, a successful Chicago restaurateur. Together with the Monastero family they founded the Chicago Bel Canto Foundation, an organization which operates an international singing competition whose prize affords winners the opportunities to study opera in Italy with important artists. Past teachers associated with the organization include opera legends

Tito Gobbi Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation. He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's '' La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major oper ...

Carlo Bergonzi (tenor) Carlo Bergonzi (13 July 1924 – 25 July 2014) was an Italian operatic tenor. Although he performed and recorded some bel canto and verismo roles, he was above all associated with the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, including many of the composer's les ...

, and

Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi ( , ; 1 February 1922 – 19 December 2004) was an Italian spinto soprano, lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post-World War II, war period, and especially prominent as one of the stars of La Scala, Teatro di San Carlo, San ...

. The couple have four children and nine grandchildren together. From 1962 to 1970 she was on the Voice Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a part-time teacher. She was a soloist with the Catholic Symphony, sang recitals and appeared on WTMJ-tv with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and became known as "Milwaukee's Mezzo". In 1973 Fischer Monastero joined the voice faculty at Northwestern University where she taught hundreds of students for 36 years. Her pupils include baritones Victor Benedetti, Lionel Cole, mezzo-soprano Edyta Kulczak, contralto Helen Tintes-Schuermann, and sopranos Martha Finch, Cynthia Haymon, Maria Russo, Dara Hobbs, Rebecca Davis (Wendorf), Kelli Harrington, Christine Arand, and Sally Murphy among others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer Monastero, Elizabeth Northwestern University faculty American operatic mezzo-sopranos Singers from Milwaukee University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni American voice teachers Winners of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Classical musicians from Wisconsin Music Academy of the West alumni