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Teresa Stich-Randall (née Stich; 24 December 1927 – 17 July 2007) was aEuropean-based Americansopranoopera singer.[1]
Teresa Stich was born inWest Hartford, Connecticut, to John Stich (1898–1957) and Mary Theresa (née Zils) Stich (1904–1986) on Christmas Eve, 1927. She had a brother, Edward. She studied at theHartt College of Music under Ivan Velikanoff. She later studied music atColumbia University and at theUniversity of Perugia.[2] She made her operatic debut in the role of "Henrietta M."[3] inVirgil Thomson'sThe Mother of Us All in 1947, and she sang the title role inOtto Luening'sEvangeline in 1948.[3]
She was discovered in the late 1940s, having adopted the name Randall to her surname (she reportedly said it was a favorite uncle's name),[4] byArturo Toscanini, who engaged her for a series of performances with hisNBC Symphony Orchestra inNew York City.[3] Toscanini described her at the time as "the find of the century".[2] She appeared as Nanetta in his two-part NBC radio broadcast ofVerdi'sFalstaff, in 1950, one of Toscanini's most acclaimed performances. It was also released on LP, 45-RPM, and CD.
Stich-Randall travelled on aFulbright Scholarship toEurope, where she made her name as a singer.[3] She made her European debut in Weber'sOberon in Florence in 1951; she played a mermaid and astonished the audience by singing while she swam in the fountain of the Boboli Gardens. She won a competition inLausanne the following year. This led to appearances with theBasel Opera inSwitzerland. She was a regular performer with theVienna State Opera and at theSalzburg Festival.[2] From 1955, she was a regular at summer events atAix-en-Provence inFrance, where her portrayals of Donna Anna inDon Giovanni and the Countess inThe Marriage of Figaro were highly esteemed.[5]
In 1962, theAustrian Government awarded her the title of Kammersängerin, given to esteemed vocal artists.[3] She made her debut at theChicago Lyric Opera as Gilda inRigoletto in 1955. She first sang at theMetropolitan Opera inNew York City inCosì fan tutte in 1961 and remained on their roster of singers until 1966.[1] She made her Boston debut in 1963 for thePeabody Mason Concert series.[6]
Stich-Randall appeared on a number of notable recordings includingFalstaff,Der Rosenkavalier,The Marriage of Figaro andL'Orfeo.[1]
Her career had largely ended by 1980 and she died inVienna, aged 79, in 2007, of natural causes.[3] She was cremated atFeuerhalle Simmering, where her ashes are buried.[7]
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