Hoffman, Grace (actually, Goldie)
Hoffman, Grace (actually, Goldie)
Hoffman, Grace (actually, Goldie), American mezzo-soprano; b. Cleveland, Jan. 14, 1925. She was educated at Western Reserve Univ. in Cleveland; then studied voice with Schorr in N.Y. and Basiola in Milan. After appearances in the U.S., she sang in Florence and Zürich; in 1955 she became a member of the Württemberg State Theater in Stuttgart. On March 27, 1958, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde. She made many appearances at La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in London, Bayreuth, and the Vienna State Opera. In 1978 she became a prof. of voice at the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart. She was noted for her performances of the music of Wagner and Verdi, particularly for her roles of Brangäne, Kundry, and Eboli; also sang widely in concerts.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire