Gail Robinson (soprano)

Gail Robinson (7 August 1946 – 19 October 2008) was an American operatic soprano who sang with many of the world's leading opera companies during the 1970s and 1980s. She spent most of her career singing lyric coloratura roles at the Metropolitan Opera. After her performance career ended she taught singing to young artists and also directed the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artist Program for over ten years. Upon leaving the Met, she joined the voice faculty at the University of Kentucky.

Robinson was born in Meridian, Mississippi but moved to Jackson, Tennessee shortly thereafter. She showed musical talent early, performing locally on radio and television. She graduated from Jackson High School in 1964 and went on to study voice under Norvell Taylor at Memphis State University. While at MSU, she won the Metropolitan Opera's Audition of the Air (the precursor to the National Council Auditions) at the young age of 19. Following this important win, Robinson left MSU to the Met's development program for young artists, with which Robinson sang leading roles in school performances throughout New York, beginning in 1966.

Robinson made her professional opera debut in 1966 with Memphis Opera as the title heroine in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Fiora Contino. That same year she toured to Rhode Island with the Met to perform the role of the Swallow in the American premiere of Malcolm Williamson's The Happy Prince. She made her debut at the company's opera house three years later as the First Genii in Mozart's The Magic Flute. She became a regular performer at the Met during the next two decades singing in more than 200 performances with the company. Her roles with the Metropolitan Opera included Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore, Almirena in Rinaldo, Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice, Annina in La Traviata, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, Flower Maiden in Parsifal, Garsenda in Francesca da Rimini, Gilda in Rigoletto, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Guadalena in La Périchole, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Norina in Don Pasquale, Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Princess in L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, and Sophie in Werther among others. Her last performance both with the Met and on the operatic stage was as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos on October 10, 1987. Robinson decided to retire at the time due to health reasons.

...
Wikipedia