Saramae Endich
Encyclopedia
Saramae Endich was an American classical soprano
who had an active performance career in concerts and opera
s during the 1950s and 1960s.
, Endich was one of five daughters born to Abraham Endich. She began studying the piano as a young child and grew up singing in her church choir. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Ohio University
, she moved to New York City to pursue further voice studies with Emmy Joseph and Winifred Cecil. She later studied with Boris Goldovsky
at the Berkshire Music Center in 1957.
Endich made her professional singing debut in July 1957 at the Tanglewood Music Festival
as the soprano soloist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's Missa Solemnis
with tenor John McCollum
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
, and conductor Charles Munch. That same year she won second prize in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air
. In 1958 she made her professional opera debut at the Santa Fe Opera
(SFO) as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte
under conductor Robert Baustian. She performed in several more SFO productions, including the roles of Alice Ford in Giuseppe Verdi
's Falstaff
(1958), Rosalinda in Johann Strauss II
's Die Fledermaus
(1959), Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
(1959), the Virgin Mary in Arthur Honegger
's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
(1962), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
(1963), 'The Lady' in Paul Hindemith
's Cardillac
(1967), and Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro
(1967).
Outside of Santa Fe, Endich was rarely seen in staged opera productions. She performed the role of Countess Almaviva with the New York City Opera
in 1962 and 1963, and was seen as Marguerite in Charles Gounod
's Faust
with the Opera Society of Washington (now the Washington National Opera
) in 1965. Her only international opera appearance was a critical success: a portrayal of the title role in Claudio Monteverdi
's L'incoronazione di Poppea
at the 1964 Glyndebourne Festival
.
As a concert singer Endich was very active. She made numerous appearances with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
under conductor Siegfried Landau
during the late 1950s and 1960s. She was also heard in concerts with numerous American symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic
, the Philadelphia Orchestra
, and the Cleveland Orchestra
among others. On 19 January 1964 she was the soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem
for the Solemn Requiem Mass honouring the death of President John F. Kennedy
in Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross. She also was the soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem under conductor Leonard Bernstein
for the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy
in 1968. She recorded Francis Poulenc
's Gloria
with conductor Robert Shaw
and the Robert Shaw Chorale
, and recorded works by the Vienesse masters with conductor Andre Kostelanetz
. She can also be heard as both Solomon's Queen and the First Harlot on a complete 1967 recording of George Frideric Handel
's Solomon
made by the Handel Society of New York
with the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra for RCA.
In 1969, at the age of 40, Endich committed suicide in her apartment at the Clifton Hotel in New York City. At the time of her death she was just about to start rehearsals for the role of Madame Euterpova in Gian Carlo Menotti
's Help, Help, the Globolinks!
for that works United States premiere production in Santa Fe.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who had an active performance career in concerts and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s during the 1950s and 1960s.
Life and career
Born in Steubenville, OhioSteubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Endich was one of five daughters born to Abraham Endich. She began studying the piano as a young child and grew up singing in her church choir. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
, she moved to New York City to pursue further voice studies with Emmy Joseph and Winifred Cecil. She later studied with Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky
Boris Goldovsky was a Russian conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in America...
at the Berkshire Music Center in 1957.
Endich made her professional singing debut in July 1957 at the Tanglewood Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts....
as the soprano soloist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Missa Solemnis
Missa Solemnis (Mozart)
The Missa Solemnis in C major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 337, was written in 1780 for Salzburg. It was Mozart's last complete mass. The mass is scored for soloists, choir, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, strings and organ, the latter supplying figured bass for most of the...
with tenor John McCollum
John McCollum
John McCollum is an American tenor who had an active singing career in operas, concerts, and recitals during the 1950s through the 1970s. As an opera singer he performed with companies throughout North America, mostly working with second tier opera houses...
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, and conductor Charles Munch. That same year she won second prize in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air
Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air
The Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air was an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera of New York City for more than two decades. The competition's purpose was to find, encourage, and promote developing young opera singers with promising future careers...
. In 1958 she made her professional opera debut at the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
(SFO) as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
under conductor Robert Baustian. She performed in several more SFO productions, including the roles of Alice Ford in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
(1958), Rosalinda in Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
's Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
(1959), Constanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera Singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner with adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie...
(1959), the Virgin Mary in Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher is an oratorio by Arthur Honegger, originally commissioned by Ida Rubinstein. The drama takes place during the heroine's trial and execution, with flashbacks to her younger days...
(1962), Donna Anna in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
(1963), 'The Lady' in Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
's Cardillac
Cardillac
Cardillac is an opera by Paul Hindemith in three acts and four scenes. Ferdinand Lion wrote the libretto based on the short story Das Fräulein von Scuderi by E.T.A. Hoffmann.-Performance history:...
(1967), and Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
(1967).
Outside of Santa Fe, Endich was rarely seen in staged opera productions. She performed the role of Countess Almaviva with the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
in 1962 and 1963, and was seen as Marguerite in Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
with the Opera Society of Washington (now the Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera
The Washington National Opera is an opera company in Washington, D.C., USA. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performances are now given in the Opera House of the John F...
) in 1965. Her only international opera appearance was a critical success: a portrayal of the title role in Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
's L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea
L'incoronazione di Poppea is an Italian baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts, first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. The music, attributed to Claudio Monteverdi, is a setting of a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello...
at the 1964 Glyndebourne Festival
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
.
As a concert singer Endich was very active. She made numerous appearances with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City...
under conductor Siegfried Landau
Siegfried Landau
Siegfried Landau was a German-born American conductor and composer.He was born in Berlin, the son of Ezekiel Landau, an Orthodox rabbi, and Helen Landau. He was a music student at the Stern and Klindworth-Scarwenka Conservatories in Germany. His family emigrated to London in 1939...
during the late 1950s and 1960s. She was also heard in concerts with numerous American symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, and the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
among others. On 19 January 1964 she was the soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
for the Solemn Requiem Mass honouring the death of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in Boston's Cathedral of the Holy Cross. She also was the soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem under conductor Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
for the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
in 1968. She recorded Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
's Gloria
Gloria (Poulenc)
The Gloria by Francis Poulenc , scored for soprano solo, large orchestra, and chorus, is a setting of the Roman Catholic Gloria in excelsis Deo text. One of Poulenc's most celebrated works, the Gloria was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation in honor of Sergei Koussevitzky and his wife...
with conductor Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw
-Arts and humanities:* Bob Shaw , Irish science fiction writer* Bob Shaw , co-writer for Seinfeld, A Bugs Life and others* Robert J...
and the Robert Shaw Chorale
Robert Shaw Chorale
The Robert Shaw Chorale was a professional chorus founded in New York City in 1948 by Robert Shaw, a Californian who had been drafted out of college a decade earlier by Fred Waring to conduct his Glee Club in radio broadcasts...
, and recorded works by the Vienesse masters with conductor Andre Kostelanetz
Andre Kostelanetz
André Kostelanetz was a popular orchestral music conductor and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music.-Biography:...
. She can also be heard as both Solomon's Queen and the First Harlot on a complete 1967 recording of George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Solomon
Solomon (Handel)
Solomon, HWV 67, is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. Its libretto is based on the biblical stories of wise king Solomon and is attributed to Newburgh Hamilton...
made by the Handel Society of New York
Handel Society of New York
The Handel Society of New York was a New York City based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas and oratorios by George Frideric Handel from 1966-1974. The group mainly performed out of Carnegie Hall and was responsible for presenting the American and...
with the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra for RCA.
In 1969, at the age of 40, Endich committed suicide in her apartment at the Clifton Hotel in New York City. At the time of her death she was just about to start rehearsals for the role of Madame Euterpova in Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
's Help, Help, the Globolinks!
Help, Help, the Globolinks!
Help, Help, the Globolinks! is an opera in four scenes by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer. It was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera and first performed as Hilfe, Hilfe, die Globolinks! in a German translation by Kurt Honolka on December 21, 1968 in a...
for that works United States premiere production in Santa Fe.