Carole Farley
Raised in Moscow, Idaho, soprano Carole Farley has become one of the most sought-after singers of her generation, a superstar in the major opera houses of Europe. According to 1972 publicity release, "Carole Farley has just become the youngest leading soprano in the history of the Cologne Opera." Farley set a record at the Cologne Opera of fifteen curtain calls on opening night for her performance in the title role of "Lulu.” Later she sang the lead in the acclaimed Paris production of the merry widow over fifty times - the first time an American sang the lead role in France. She was a principal singer at the Metropolitan Opera where she made her debut in 1977 in the demanding role of Lulu, a role she has repeated almost 100 times in three languages: German, English and French. Farley regularly appears in the world's foremost opera houses including the Chicago Lyric, New York City Opera, Canadian Opera and the opera houses of Cologne, Zürich, Dusseldorf, Paris, Turin, Buenos Aires, Nice and Florence. She has also starred in film versions of opera. She has made orchestral appearances with most of the leading orchestras in the U.S., such as the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, and many more. Her many recordings include “Beethoven's Ninth Symphony” under Antal Doroti, with the Royal Philharmonic, and “Vienna Dances” with Andre Kostelanetz for CBS records .Born in LeMars, Iowa in 1946, Carole moved to Moscow with her family in 1953 and began studying music with her mother Irene, who taught in the public schools for twenty-two years. Her father Mel was a University of Idaho education professor for twenty-eight years. Carole started her music career with clarinet and piano lessons at age four. She graduated from Moscow High School in 1964.The attractive blond soprano soon gave evidence of her wide-ranging talent by winning the Idaho Jr. Miss contest in 1964. She sang in the University of Idaho Summer Chorus and after earning a Bachelors of Science in Music in 1968, Carole received a Fulbright Scholarship to study music in Munich and began singing professionally. She gave a benefit concert at North Idaho College, in Coeur d'Alene, in late 1993 and she was inducted into the Moscow High School Alumni Hall of Fame at their 1995 Commencement. She and her husband, conductor Jose Serebrier, live between New York and London.
By Dee Klenck |
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