Irene Dalis
| Irene Dalis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Yvonne Patricia Dalis |
| Born |
October 8, 1925 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 2014 (aged 89) |
| Genres | Opera |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Notable instruments | |
| Voice | |
Irene Dalis (born Yvonne Patricia Dalis, October 8, 1925 – December 14, 2014) was an American mezzo-soprano singer, who had a long international career at the highest levels of world opera. In 1946 she received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State College (now San Jose State University), where she regarded herself not as a singer, but as a pianist.
Of Greek and Italian descent, Dalis grew up in San Jose, California. Dalis received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State College and master's degree in music education from Teachers College of Columbia University, and she received honorary doctorates from Santa Clara University and California State University.
Dalis was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and went to Europe to begin her singing career. She studied in Milan and gave her first performance of any kind at the Oldenburgisches Stadtstheater in Germany. This was so successful that she was offered a Fest contract in Oldenburg and remained there for two years between 1953 and 1955, making her professional debut there in 1953 as Princess Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlo. She then moved to the Berlin Stadtische Oper where her performance in Janáček's Jenufa led to an offer from The Metropolitan Opera, where she debuted in 1957, again as Eboli, to great applause.
One New York City reviewer, Raymond Erickson, wrote:
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 O don fatale 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"
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