Julia Claussen (11 June 1879 – 1 May 1941) was a Swedish mezzo-soprano.

Early life and education

Claussen was born on 11 June 1879 in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. She was educated at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...

in that city; she also studied at the Royal Academy in

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Career

Claussen made her debut in '' La favorita'' in Stockholm on 19 January 1903, and remained with the Royal Swedish Opera for nine seasons. She sang at Covent Garden and in

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, and appeared as Ortrud in '' Lohengrin'' in

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in 1913. She sang in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in 1914, under the management of Alma Voedisch. She made several recordings in 1915. In 1916, she sang on the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

circuit, giving 119 recitals in twelve states. She toured in Scandinavia in 1920, was decorated by the King of Sweden, and gave a recital at New York's Aeolian Hall on her return to the United States. She gave a recital at

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in 1922. Claussen made her Metropolitan Opera debut, as Delilah, on 23 November 1917. She was usually seen in Wagnerian roles, including Brunnhilde in '' Die Walküre,'' and Kundry in '' Parsifal'', both in 1922. Fellow singer Rosa Ponselle also considered her Italian opera roles impressive, saying Claussen was "the ideal Amneris." Claussen remained with the Metropolitan Opera until her retirement in 1932, whereupon she returned to Stockholm. She also sang with the

Philadelphia Civic Opera Company The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company (PCOC) was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established p ...

in the 1920s. She was vice-president of the National Opera Club of America. In 1929, singer Lydia Lindgren sued Claussen for $250,000 for defamation. The suit was later dropped.

Personal life

Claussen married Theodore Claussen in 1902, and had two daughters. The Claussen family were all naturalized as United States citizens in 1920. Julia Claussen died in Stockholm in 1941, aged 62 years.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Claussen, Julia 1879 births 1941 deaths Swedish opera singers Swedish operatic mezzo-sopranos Singers from Stockholm