Marita Napier
Marita Napier (1939-) was an opera singer (soprano).
Contents
Biography
The dramatic soprano Marita Napier, born on 16 February 1939, studied in South Africa and in Detmold. She made her debut in Bielefeld in 1969 in the role of Venus from Wagner’s Tannhäuser. She sang in major German cities and at the Bayreuth Festival in 1974-1975 and held engagements in major European cities. She also sang in Covent Garden, La Scala and the Verona Festival. Her appearances in the United States included singing in the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
In 1992 she became the Director of the PACT Opera Training Center in Pretoria. Napier’s repertoire include Wagnerian roles such as Elsa, Brünhilde, Venus, Isolde, Sieglinde, Eva, Freia and Senta as well as Turandot, Elisabeth de Valois, Lady Macbeth and Tosca. Strauss roles include Ariadne and Chrysothemis.
In 1995, she played Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann for PACT Opera.
In 1997, she appeared in Sacred Bones at the Nico Malan Theatre and at the National Arts Festival.
Sources
Alexandra Xenia Sabina Mossolow[1]. 2003. The career of South African soprano Nellie du Toit, born 1929. Unpublished Masters thesis. University of Stellenbosch.[2]
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