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{{short description|American mezzo-soprano and voice teacher.}} |
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{{BLP sources|date=May 2019}} |
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[[File:MignonDunn.jpg|thumb|Mignon Dunn, American Opera Singer]] |
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'''Mignon Dunn''' (born June 17, 1928, in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]) is an American dramatic [[mezzo-soprano]] and voice teacher.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dsfq_5dFeL0C&q=1253+Dunn%2C+Mignon&pg=PA1253|title=Großes Sängerlexikon, Band 1 Aarden—Castles|last1=Kutsch|first1=Karl-Josef|last2=Riemens|first2=Leo|publisher=K. G. Saur Verlag GmbH München|year=2003|isbn=3598115989|edition=4|pages=1253, 1254|language=de}}</ref> |
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==Early years== |
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Born in Memphis, Dunn grew up in [[Tyronza, Arkansas]] and Memphis, Tennessee. She studied voice with [[Karen Branzell]] and [[Beverley Peck Johnson]]. |
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Born in Memphis, Mignon Dunn grew up in [[Tyronza, Arkansas]] and Memphis, Tennessee. She studied voice with [[Karin Branzell]] and [[Beverley Peck Johnson]].<ref name=":0" /> She made her professional debut, in the title role of Bizet's opera ''[[Carmen]]'', on September 8, 1955, at the Opera of New Orleans,<ref name=":0" /> moving on to play Maddalena in ''Rigoletto'' in Chicago that same year. On March 28, 1956 she made her New York City Opera debut as the 4th Lady in Walton’s ''Troilus and Cressida'', going on to sing several other roles with the company through 1975. Mignon Dunn made her debut with the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in 1958, as the Nurse in ''Boris Godunov'', conducted by [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Rubin |first=Stephen E. |date=1973-10-14 |title=Music |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |publication-date=1973-10-14 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/14/archives/how-does-it-feel-to-steal-the-show-on-opening-night-incredible.html |url-status=live |access-date=2019-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509065030/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/14/archives/how-does-it-feel-to-steal-the-show-on-opening-night-incredible.html |archive-date=2019-05-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> |
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She made her official debut, in the title role of ''Carmen'', on September 8, 1955, with the Experimental Opera Theatre of America/[[New Orleans Opera]] Association, with [[Norman Treigle]] in his first Escamillo, conducted by [[Renato Cellini]], and directed by [[Armando Agnini]]. |
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== Operatic Roles == |
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In 1956, Dunn made her first appearance with the [[New York City Opera]], in a small role in ''Troilus and Cressida'', and sang with that company again in 1957, then in 1972 (''Carmen'') and 1975. The mezzo-soprano made the first of her 653 appearances with the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in 1958, as the Nurse in ''Boris Godunov'', conducted by [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]]. She went on to portray a great variety of roles with that company; her final performance there was as Klytemnästra, in ''Elektra'', in 1994. |
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Mignon Dunn is known especially for her portrayals of the dramatic Italian roles such as Amneris in ''Aida,'' Azucena in ''Il trovatore,'' Eboli in ''Don Carlo'', both Laura and La Cieca in ''La gioconda,'' the Princess in ''Adriana Lecouvreur'', and Santuzza in ''Cavalleria rusticana.'' |
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[[File:Mignon Dunn as Carmen.jpg|thumb]] |
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Her French repertoire includes Dalila in ''Samson et Dalila'' and Giulietta in ''The Tales of Hoffmann,'' as well as Dulcinée in ''Don Quichotte'' and Carmen, which she sang over 400 times in four different languages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salazar |first=David |date=2018-06-17 |title=Artist Profile: Mignon Dunn, Supreme 'Carmen' Interpreter |url=https://operawire.com/artist-profile-mignon-dunn-supreme-carmen-interpreter/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=OperaWire |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Ms. Dunn's German repertoire embraced the leading mezzo roles in different productions of Wagner’s ''Ring Cycle,'' Ortrud in ''Lohengrin,'' Kundry in ''Parsifal'', and Venus in ''Tannhäuser.'' She gave many performances of Strauss’ operas: Klytämnestra in ''Elektra,'' Herodias in ''Salome,'' and the Nurse in ''Die Frau ohne Schatten conducted by [[Wolfgang Sawallisch]] and directed by [[Jean-Pierre Ponnelle]], 1986).'' |
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Dunn also sang with the [[Teatro alla Scala]], [[Vienna Staatsoper]], [[Covent Garden]], [[Paris Opéra]], [[Bolshoi Opera]], [[Teatro Colón]], and the [[Verona Arena]] (''Carmen'', directed by [[Luca Ronconi]], 1970). She was married to Austrian conductor Kurt Klippstätter from 1972 until his death, in January 2000. |
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She sang Kostelnicka in ''Jennufa,'' Jezibaba in ''Rusalka,'' and Kabanicha in ''Katya Kabanova'' in Czech as well as Marina in ''Boris Godunov'' in Russian. Her Spanish repertoire includes ''Goyescas'' and ''La vida'' ''breve.''<ref name="Mignon Dunn">{{Cite web |title=Mignon Dunn |url=https://www.msmnyc.edu/faculty/mignon-dunn/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Manhattan School of Music |language=en}}</ref> |
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In recent years Dunn has become one of the foremost coaches and voice teachers in the US and internationally. She has served on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music since 1988. She is often called to adjudicate upper-tier vocal competitions. |
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== Performance Venues == |
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Mignon Dunn sang the leading mezzo-soprano roles in the most important opera houses of the world. In Europe, she sang at La Scala, Milan; Vienna Staatsoper; London’s Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Paris Opéra; Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre; Teatr Wielki, Warsaw; Hamburg Staatsoper; Deutsche Oper Berlin; the opera companies of Frankfurt and Dusseldorf; and the [[Verona Arena]] (''Carmen'', directed by [[Luca Ronconi]], 1970). |
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* Strauss: ''Salome'' (Jones, Cassilly, Fischer-Dieskau; Böhm, 1970) [live] [[Deutsche Grammophon]] |
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* Thomson: ''The Mother of Us All'' (Putnam, Vanni, J.Atherton, W.Lewis, Booth; Leppard, 1977) New World Records |
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* Charpentier: ''Louise'' (Sills, Gedda, van Dam; Rudel, 1977) [[EMI]] |
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* Verdi: ''Rigoletto'' (Sills, Kraus, Milnes, Ramey; Rudel, 1978) EMI |
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* Verdi: ''Rigoletto'' (Peters, Tucker, Merrill, Giaotti; Cleva, [Met Broadcast of February 22, 1964]) Sony |
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* Verdi: ''Requiem'' (Barker, Mauro, Plishka; Lombard) EMI/Erato |
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In South and Central America, Ms. Dunn performed at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Opera Nacional in Chile, Mexico City’s Bellas Artes, and the Opera of Puerto Rico. In Canada she performed with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and the Opéra de Montréal. |
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== Commercial Videography == |
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* Strauss: ''Elektra'' (Nilsson, Rysanek, Nagy, McIntyre; Levine, Graf/Mills, 1980) [live] Deutsche Grammophon |
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In the United States Mignon Dunn made her debut with the [[Metropolitan Opera]] in 1958, as the Nurse in ''Boris Godunov'', conducted by [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]]. She also sang at the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Opera Theater of Detroit, New Orleans Opera and Miami Opera.<ref name="Mignon Dunn"/> |
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== Concerts, Recitals & Recordings == |
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Ms. Dunn performed recitals all over Europe and the United States and sang with many major symphony orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the orchestras of Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Hamburg, and Vienna. Her varied repertoire especially featured the works of Mahler, Ravel, and Verdi.<ref name="Mignon Dunn"/> |
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Mignon Dunn can be heard on a variety of recordings produced by EMI, Erato, and Deutsche Grammophon. |
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== Teaching == |
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Mignon Dunn taught voice at the University Texas at Austin, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and Brooklyn College. She was a voice faculty member at [[Manhattan School of Music]] from 1985 until her retirement in December 2023. |
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== Honors & Recognition == |
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1974 – Mignon Dunn received an ''Honorary Degree'' from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Clinton |first=Will |date=2019 |title=Mignon Dunn Receives Honorary Degree |url=https://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/handle/10267/30600 |access-date=December 27, 2023 |website=Rhodes College Digital Archives |place=Rhodes College Digital Archives |hdl=10267/30600 }}</ref> |
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1984 - Mignon was interviewed by Bruce Duffie for WNIB Classical 97 in Chicago. To read the transcript visit https://www.bruceduffie.com/dunn.html<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mignon Dunn Interview with Bruce Duffie . . . . . . . . . |url=https://www.bruceduffie.com/dunn.html |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=www.bruceduffie.com}}</ref> |
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2011 – Mignon Dunn was awarded the ''President’s Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service'' from Manhattan School of Music.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Virtual Yearbooks: 2010s |url=https://www.msmnyc.edu/about/history/virtual-yearbooks-2010s/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Manhattan School of Music |language=en}}</ref> |
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2014 – Mignon Dunn received the ''Sherrill Milnes Voice Award'' in 2014 for her "outstanding contribution in teaching and mentoring the next generation of opera singers."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-09 |title=Savannah Voice Festival Honors Mignon Dunn With 2nd Annual Sherrill Milnes Award - The Savannah Tribune |url=https://www.savannahtribune.com/articles/savannah-voice-festival-honors-mignon-dunn-with-2nd-annual-sherrill-milnes-award/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=SavannahTribune.com |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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2019 – Mignon Dunn received the VERA Award from The Voice Foundation,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-03-20 |title=VERA Award - THE VOICE FOUNDATION |url=https://voicefoundation.org/annual-symposium/awards-recognizing-excellence/vera-award/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=voicefoundation.org |language=en-US}}</ref> and the Artist Excellence Award from the Giulio Gari Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salazar |first=David |date=2019-10-07 |title=Lisette Oropesa, Mignon Dunn To be Honored At Giulio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition Gala Concert 2019 |url=https://operawire.com/lisette-oropesa-mignon-dunn-to-be-honored-at-giulio-gari-foundation-vocal-competition-gala-concert-2019/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=OperaWire |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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2022 - Mignon Dunn discussed her life in music with Manhattan School of Music's Alumni Council Chair Justin Bischof. To watch the interview visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTBjy228Se8 |
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== Personal life == |
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Mignon Dunn was married to Austrian conductor [[Kurt Klippstätter]] from 1972 until his death, on January 4, 2000.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-01-08-0001080087-story.html|title=KURT KLIPPSTATTER|date=2000-01-08|website=chicagotribune.com|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509064851/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-01-08-0001080087-story.html|archive-date=2019-05-09|url-status=live|access-date=2019-05-09}}</ref> |
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{{reflist}} |
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* ''The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia'', edited by David Hamilton, [[Simon & Schuster]], 1987. {{ISBN|0-671-61732-X}} |
* ''The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia'', edited by David Hamilton, [[Simon & Schuster]], 1987. {{ISBN|0-671-61732-X}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{YouTube|uZiOVvjZhj4|Mignon Dunn in an excerpt from ''Carmen''}}, with [[Plácido Domingo]] (1968, audio only). |
* {{YouTube|uZiOVvjZhj4|Mignon Dunn in an excerpt from ''Carmen''}}, with [[Plácido Domingo]] (1968, audio only). |
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* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/dunn.html Interview with Mignon Dunn] |
* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/dunn.html Interview with Mignon Dunn], October 5, 1984 |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Mignon}} |
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[[Category:1928 births]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American women opera singers]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American women]] |
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[[Category:American operatic mezzo-sopranos]] |
[[Category:American operatic mezzo-sopranos]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Brooklyn College faculty]] |
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[[Category:Classical musicians from Arkansas]] |
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[[Category:Classical musicians from Tennessee]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Singers from Memphis, Tennessee]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:People from Poinsett County, Arkansas]] |
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[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]] |
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Latest revision as of 14:14, 3 July 2024
Mignon Dunn (born June 17, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American dramatic mezzo-soprano and voice teacher.[1]
Early years
[edit]Born in Memphis, Mignon Dunn grew up in Tyronza, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. She studied voice with Karin Branzell and Beverley Peck Johnson.[1] She made her professional debut, in the title role of Bizet's opera Carmen, on September 8, 1955, at the Opera of New Orleans,[1] moving on to play Maddalena in Rigoletto in Chicago that same year. On March 28, 1956 she made her New York City Opera debut as the 4th Lady in Walton’s Troilus and Cressida, going on to sing several other roles with the company through 1975. Mignon Dunn made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1958, as the Nurse in Boris Godunov, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos.[2]
Operatic Roles
[edit]Mignon Dunn is known especially for her portrayals of the dramatic Italian roles such as Amneris in Aida, Azucena in Il trovatore, Eboli in Don Carlo, both Laura and La Cieca in La gioconda, the Princess in Adriana Lecouvreur, and Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana.
Her French repertoire includes Dalila in Samson et Dalila and Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, as well as Dulcinée in Don Quichotte and Carmen, which she sang over 400 times in four different languages.[3]
Ms. Dunn's German repertoire embraced the leading mezzo roles in different productions of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Ortrud in Lohengrin, Kundry in Parsifal, and Venus in Tannhäuser. She gave many performances of Strauss’ operas: Klytämnestra in Elektra, Herodias in Salome, and the Nurse in Die Frau ohne Schatten conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch and directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, 1986).
She sang Kostelnicka in Jennufa, Jezibaba in Rusalka, and Kabanicha in Katya Kabanova in Czech as well as Marina in Boris Godunov in Russian. Her Spanish repertoire includes Goyescas and La vida breve.[4]
Performance Venues
[edit]Mignon Dunn sang the leading mezzo-soprano roles in the most important opera houses of the world. In Europe, she sang at La Scala, Milan; Vienna Staatsoper; London’s Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Paris Opéra; Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre; Teatr Wielki, Warsaw; Hamburg Staatsoper; Deutsche Oper Berlin; the opera companies of Frankfurt and Dusseldorf; and the Verona Arena (Carmen, directed by Luca Ronconi, 1970).
In South and Central America, Ms. Dunn performed at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Opera Nacional in Chile, Mexico City’s Bellas Artes, and the Opera of Puerto Rico. In Canada she performed with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and the Opéra de Montréal.
In the United States Mignon Dunn made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1958, as the Nurse in Boris Godunov, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. She also sang at the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Opera Theater of Detroit, New Orleans Opera and Miami Opera.[4]
Concerts, Recitals & Recordings
[edit]Ms. Dunn performed recitals all over Europe and the United States and sang with many major symphony orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the orchestras of Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Hamburg, and Vienna. Her varied repertoire especially featured the works of Mahler, Ravel, and Verdi.[4]
Mignon Dunn can be heard on a variety of recordings produced by EMI, Erato, and Deutsche Grammophon.
Teaching
[edit]Mignon Dunn taught voice at the University Texas at Austin, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and Brooklyn College. She was a voice faculty member at Manhattan School of Music from 1985 until her retirement in December 2023.
Honors & Recognition
[edit]1974 – Mignon Dunn received an Honorary Degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]
1984 - Mignon was interviewed by Bruce Duffie for WNIB Classical 97 in Chicago. To read the transcript visit https://www.bruceduffie.com/dunn.html[6]
2011 – Mignon Dunn was awarded the President’s Medal for Distinguished Faculty Service from Manhattan School of Music.[7]
2014 – Mignon Dunn received the Sherrill Milnes Voice Award in 2014 for her "outstanding contribution in teaching and mentoring the next generation of opera singers."[8]
2019 – Mignon Dunn received the VERA Award from The Voice Foundation,[9] and the Artist Excellence Award from the Giulio Gari Foundation.[10]
2022 - Mignon Dunn discussed her life in music with Manhattan School of Music's Alumni Council Chair Justin Bischof. To watch the interview visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTBjy228Se8
Personal life
[edit]Mignon Dunn was married to Austrian conductor Kurt Klippstätter from 1972 until his death, on January 4, 2000.[2][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Kutsch, Karl-Josef; Riemens, Leo (2003). Großes Sängerlexikon, Band 1 Aarden—Castles (in German) (4 ed.). K. G. Saur Verlag GmbH München. pp. 1253, 1254. ISBN 3598115989.
- ^ a b Rubin, Stephen E. (1973-10-14). "Music". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- ^ Salazar, David (2018-06-17). "Artist Profile: Mignon Dunn, Supreme 'Carmen' Interpreter". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ a b c "Mignon Dunn". Manhattan School of Music. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ Clinton, Will (2019). "Mignon Dunn Receives Honorary Degree". Rhodes College Digital Archives. Rhodes College Digital Archives. hdl:10267/30600. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
- ^ "Mignon Dunn Interview with Bruce Duffie . . . . . . . . ". www.bruceduffie.com. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ "Virtual Yearbooks: 2010s". Manhattan School of Music. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ "Savannah Voice Festival Honors Mignon Dunn With 2nd Annual Sherrill Milnes Award - The Savannah Tribune". SavannahTribune.com. 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ "VERA Award - THE VOICE FOUNDATION". voicefoundation.org. 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ Salazar, David (2019-10-07). "Lisette Oropesa, Mignon Dunn To be Honored At Giulio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition Gala Concert 2019". OperaWire. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
- ^ "KURT KLIPPSTATTER". chicagotribune.com. 2000-01-08. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
- Who's Who in Opera, edited by Maria F. Rich, Arno Press, 1976. ISBN 0-405-06652-X
- The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia, edited by David Hamilton, Simon & Schuster, 1987. ISBN 0-671-61732-X
External links
[edit]- Mignon Dunn in an excerpt from Carmen on YouTube, with Plácido Domingo (1968, audio only).
- Interview with Mignon Dunn, October 5, 1984
- 1928 births
- 20th-century American women opera singers
- 21st-century American women
- American operatic mezzo-sopranos
- Brooklyn College faculty
- Classical musicians from Arkansas
- Classical musicians from Tennessee
- Living people
- Singers from Memphis, Tennessee
- People from Poinsett County, Arkansas
- Singers from Arkansas
- American opera singer stubs