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in 1984, a professional company which hires young singers on a multi-year contract basis, allowing them to perform principal roles in the company's four annual productions. "This company was based on my two years in
Oldenburg," Dalis says. "In my time there, I sang nine major roles—it would have been
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After retiring from the Met in 1976, Dalis returned to her hometown in
California, where San Jose State University offered her the position of Professor of Music. There she developed the Opera Workshop program, which began turning out so many career-level graduate singers that she decided to form the
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Her broadcast portrayal is made memorable by the sensuous quality of her middle and upper voice…. she startles with the sheer beauty of her voice and her interpretive subtlety. The luscious timbre, with its seductive shimmer, contains its own magic...Her flexible phrasing and command of text bespeak
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Irene Dalis was wonderful to interact with: active, alert, but at the same time solicitous, as Isolde’s servant must be. I have had colleagues who ceaselessly tried to convince the audience that they should be the one singing Isolde. Then everything goes wrong and nothing in the relationship works.
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In keeping with her philosophy of encouraging young singers, with the support of an anonymous donor, Dalis established the Irene Dalis Vocal
Competition in 2007, which is held in San Jose every spring. Ten finalists compete for $ 50,000 in cash prizes. IDVC finalists have gone on to significant
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Her expert vocalism and musicianship were immediately apparent in the "Veil Song", which Dalis sang better than I have ever heard it sung. In the tricky ensemble with Carlo and
Rodrigo in the Queen's gardens, she was just as impressive, and her sweeping, almost torrential handling of
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Fan appreciation also runs deep. Her home burned down in 1990 and she lost a lifetime's collection of recordings and memorabilia. Unbeknownst to her, a former student quietly reassembled unauthorized recordings of her performances at the Met, San
Francisco, Rome, and
351:! And I thought, 'Why not find young talent and have them sing the big roles, rather than starting in the chorus and working their way up?'" As its chief officer, she led the company for its entire history, taking particular pride in its fiscal stability.
412:, 23rd Assembly District, 1983; inducted into the California Public Educators Hall of Fame, 1985; Award of Merit from the People of the City of San Francisco, 1985; Honored Citizen of the City of San José, 1986; listed in
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won her a genuine ovation from the capacity audience. Everywhere, Dalis' acting went hand-in-glove with her singing. Erickson concluded that Dalis's debut was "one of the most exciting in recent seasons"
426:; Beautiful Minds Award recipient (2010). In 2013, she received the Cornerstone of the Arts awarded by the City of San Jose Arts Commission and the Career Award from the National Opera America Center.
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a singer who inhabits her character to the fullest, achieving a fusion of musical and dramatic elements...Dalis owns a singular combination of vocal and interpretive gifts.
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Dalis was awarded the prestigious San
Francisco Opera Medal in 1998. Her other credits include Principal Artist at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera,
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801:
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and gave her first performance of any kind at the
Oldenburgisches Stadttheater in Germany. This was so successful that she was offered a contract in
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book editor George Loinaz who died in 1990. The marriage produced one daughter, Alida. Dalis has two grandchildren. Dalis died at the age of 89 in
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That was the first of 274 performances with the Met Opera company; it lasted through 20 seasons. She was particularly noted as
Amneris in Verdi's
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singer, who had a long international career at the highest levels of world opera. In 1946, she received her bachelor's degree from
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and remained there for two years between 1953 and 1955, making her professional debut there in 1953 as
Princess Eboli in Verdi's
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and others. Her awards include
Fulbright Award, 1951; Richard Wagner Medallion, Bayreuth, West Germany, 1963; Tower Award,
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on the occasion of her twentieth anniversary season, 1977; Woman of Achievement Award from the
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120:(now San José State University), where she regarded herself not as a singer, but as a pianist.
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295:, among other roles. She performed in the gala to mark the conclusion of the career of Sir
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In 1961, Dalis appeared as the first American to sing the role of Kundry in Wagner's
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132:. Dalis received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State College (now
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201:, a part she sang 69 times at the Metropolitan. She was Brangäne when
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Commission on the Status of Women, 1983; Commendation from the Hon.
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179:, where she debuted in 1957, again as Eboli, to great applause.
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careers; for instance, Audrey Luna (2009) has sung at the Met,
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and went to Europe to begin her singing career. She studied in
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733:"Irene Dalis, Opera Singer and Company Founder, Dies at 89"
655:. Lebanon, NH: Northeastern University Press. p. 7.
677:"Thanks to fan, S.J. opera star regains recorded legacy"
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630:. Pomtpon Plains, NJ: Amadeus Press. pp. 199–200.
265:. Her portrayal of this role was recorded in 1962 with
112:; October 8, 1925 – December 14, 2014) was an American
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One New York City reviewer, Raymond Erickson, wrote:
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219:at the house in 1961 and Princess di Bouillon for
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285:in 1964. In San Francisco, she sang the Nurse in
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700:"Irene Dalis: grande dame behind Opera San Jose"
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574:. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 167.
128:Of Greek and Italian descent, Dalis grew up in
519:Erickson, Raymond (March 16, 1957). "Review".
136:) and master's degree in music education from
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792:Teachers College, Columbia University alumni
572:San Francisco Opera: The First 75 Years
233:frequently, most notably 17 performances of
140:, and she received honorary doctorates from
802:20th-century American women opera singers
570:Chatfield-Taylor, Joan (September 1997).
467:. New York: Doubleday. pp. 476–477.
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138:Teachers College of Columbia University
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731:Yardley, William (December 18, 2014).
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337:Founding and directing Opera San Jose
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384:, Covent Garden, Bayreuth Festival,
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319:said of her collegial intelligence:
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807:Classical musicians from California
777:Musicians from San Jose, California
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549:. London: MacMillan. p. 1050.
324:But here, everything ran perfectly.
281:conducting. This recording won the
169:where her performance in Janáček's
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698:Kosman, Joshua (August 29, 2010).
601:. New York: G.P. Putnam. pp.
333:, and gave them to her as a gift.
239:by Richard Strauss, as well as in
229:. She also performed with soprano
205:sang first at the Met in Wagner's
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787:San Jose State University faculty
494:. New York: G.P. Putnam. p.
306:One reviewer said of her Kundry:
165:. She then moved to the Berlin's
782:San Jose State University alumni
772:American people of Greek descent
767:American operatic mezzo-sopranos
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144:and San Jose State University.
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398:Metropolitan Opera Association
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547:New Grove Dictionary of Opera
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404:and the League of Friends of
355:Irene Dalis Vocal competition
653:La Nilsson: My Life in Opera
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812:21st-century American women
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124:Education and early career
488:Bing, Sir Rudolf (1981).
463:The American Opera Singer
394:San José State University
134:San José State University
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651:Nilsson, Birgit (2007).
797:Singers from California
628:Start-Up at the New Met
434:In 1957, Dalis married
626:Jackson, Paul (2006).
442:on December 14, 2014.
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287:Die Frau ohne Schatten
236:Die Frau ohne Schatten
211:in 1959, Amneris when
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177:The Metropolitan Opera
142:Santa Clara University
118:San Jose State College
598:A Knight at the Opera
595:Bing, Rudolf (1981).
491:A Knight at the Opera
459:Davis, Peter (1997).
402:San José Mercury News
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302:Critical appreciation
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175:led to an offer from
149:Fulbright scholarship
110:Yvonne Patricia Dalis
36:Yvonne Patricia Dalis
16:American opera singer
440:San Jose, California
415:Who's Who in America
147:Dalis was awarded a
130:San Jose, California
71:San Jose, California
54:San Jose, California
679:. December 24, 2006
386:Chicago Lyric Opera
279:Hans Knappertsbusch
737:The New York Times
424:Who's Who in Music
422:(since 1971); and
420:Who's Who in Opera
406:Santa Clara County
362:The Santa Fe Opera
283:Grand Prix du Disc
226:Adriana Lecouvreur
208:Tristan und Isolde
662:978-1-55553-670-1
637:978-1-57467-147-6
612:978-0-399-12653-6
581:978-0-8118-1368-6
556:978-0-935859-92-8
505:978-0-399-12653-6
474:978-0-385-47495-5
410:John Vasconcellos
382:Royal Opera House
376:Awards and honors
263:Bayreuth Festival
251:Career highlights
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64:December 14, 2014
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418:(since 1958);
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344:Opera San Jose
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317:Birgit Nilsson
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231:Leonie Rysanek
213:Leontyne Price
203:Birgit Nilsson
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66:(2014-12-14)
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762:2014 deaths
757:1925 births
436:McGraw Hill
297:Rudolf Bing
271:Hans Hotter
267:Jess Thomas
215:debuted in
106:Irene Dalis
25:Irene Dalis
751:Categories
446:References
368:, and the
366:Tanglewood
93:Instrument
85:Occupation
47:1925-10-08
32:Birth name
709:April 22,
683:April 22,
529:0735-7788
292:Lohengrin
275:Gurnemanz
162:Don Carlo
157:Oldenburg
545:(1992).
331:Bayreuth
258:Parsifal
261:at the
704:SFGATE
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390:Naples
277:, and
241:Salome
172:Jenufa
108:(born
96:Vocals
88:Singer
77:Genres
603:50–51
153:Milan
80:Opera
711:2022
685:2022
657:ISBN
632:ISBN
607:ISBN
576:ISBN
551:ISBN
525:ISSN
500:ISBN
469:ISBN
245:Aida
243:and
217:AĂŻda
198:AĂŻda
61:Died
56:, US
41:Born
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273:as
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