Lou Rodgers is an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

singer and opera director. A mezzo-soprano, she began her career in the late 1950s singing roles with 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 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

. She notably appeared in the world premiere of

Hugo Weisgall Hugo David Weisgall (October 13, 1912 – March 11, 1997) was an American composer and conductor, known chiefly for his opera and vocal music compositions. He was born in Ivančice, Moravia (then part of Austria-Hungary, later in his childhoo ...

's ''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, the ...

'' with the company on April 26, 1959. In 1975 she founded Golden Fleece Ltd., an opera company dedicated to presenting new American operas. She remains the company's artistic director to this day. For her work with the company she was awarded the prestigious

Laurel Leaf Award The Laurel Leaf Award recognizes the achievement of an individual or group in encouraging and fostering American music. The award has been presented annually by the American Composers Alliance, from 1951 through at least 2012. Past recipients of the ...

from the

American Composers Alliance The American Composers Alliance (ACA) is an American nonprofit composer service organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus, Marion Bauer and ot ...

in 1999.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American mezzo-sopranos American opera directors American opera singers Operatic mezzo-sopranos 21st-century American women {{opera-bio-stub