Torhild Staahlen (25 September 1947 – 17 December 2021) was a Norwegian operatic

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 ...

who was employed at

Norwegian National Opera The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet () is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisation in the country, it is currently resi ...

from 1967 to 1969 and from 1971 to 2000. She had her solo debut as Suzuki in ''

Madam 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 Luth ...

'' with The Norwegian National Opera in Oslo in 1971. Staahlen was born in

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

on 25 September 1947. She studied at Oslo Conservatory of Music and graduated from the Norwegian College of Opera in Oslo in 1971. She was a pupil of

Audrey Langford Audrey Langford (28 June 1912, Rochdale — 5 August 1994, Bromley) was an English soprano, conductor, and voice teacher. Musicologist Elizabeth Forbes wrote, "Audrey Langford will no doubt go down in musical history as a superb singing teacher o ...

in London. She also studied with famous opera singers, including

Astrid Varnay Ibolyka Astrid Maria Varnay (25 April 1918 – 4 September 2006) was a Swedish-born American dramatic soprano of Hungarian descent. She spent most of her career in the United States and Germany. She was one of the leading Wagnerian heroic soprano ...

Ingrid Bjoner Ingrid Kristine Bjoner Pierpoint (8 November 1927 – 4 September 2006) was a Norwegian soprano who had an international opera career between 1956 and 1990. She was particularly celebrated for her portrayal of Wagnerian heroines and for her perfor ...

and

Aase Nordmo Løvberg Aase Nordmo Løvberg (10 June 192325 January 2013) was a Norwegian opera singer. ''Dagbladet'' called her "one of Norway's greatest opera singers." For many years she sang with Jussi Björling, and she also sang under renowned conductors such as H ...

. She sang in more than sixty roles, including the title role in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' in three productions, Octavian in

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

, Azucena in '' Il trovatore'', Amneris in ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic 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 De ...

'' and Ulrica in '' Un ballo in maschera''. Staahlen sang in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Scotland, England and the United States, and performed many oratorios and concerts. She also sang on radio and television. Her repertoire of more than twenty works included Bach's '' Mass in B Minor'', Händel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Elgar’s Sea Pictures. She established her own scholarship for singers, musicians and composers. It was awarded for the first time on 17 May 1997. She was married to the Scottish musician Neil David Percival Dodd (1939–2005), who was first répétiteur and conductor on The Norwegian National Opera. Staahlen later moved back to Skien, and was partnered to Steinar Syverud. She died on 17 December 2021, at the age of 74.

References

Sources

* International Who's Who in Classical Music, pp 746, David M. Cummings, Europa Publications, 2003,

* Cappelens Musikkleksikon, Vol. 6, pp 213, J.W Cappelens Forlag as, 1980, (A Norwegian Music Dictionary) * Maud Hurum's Opera Surve

(In Norwegian) * :no:Aase Nordmo Løvberg, Aase Nordmo Løvberg on Norwegian Wikipedia.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Staahlen, Torhild 1947 births 2021 deaths Musicians from Skien Norwegian classical musicians Norwegian operatic mezzo-sopranos