Around the Music Festival

Soprano singer Hilde Zadek died in Karlsruhe, Germany on the 21st. She passed away at the age of 101. After her debut in 1947, she worked mainly at the Vienna State Opera, until her retirement in 1971, standing on the stage of famous opera house around the world. She is one of the singers who support the golden age of post-war opera. At the Vienna State Opera, she appeared in 760 times and had 39 roles. She was elected honorary member and court singer.

In 1917 she was born in a Jewish family near Poznan (Poznan became a Polish territory after the First World War). Due to the emergence of the Nazis in Germany, she moved to Palestine at the age of 17 in 1935. During her time as a nurse in Jerusalem, she studied vocal music. In 1945 she returned to Europe. Later, she studied vocal music in Zurich. In the first appearance of Vienna in 1947, she appeared in the “Aida” at the Theater an der Wien. She sang Aida and had a sensational success.

In the following year, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival and succeeded through Donna Anna, Violetta, Ariadne. Since 1967, she has taught young musicians at the Vienna Conservatory of Music. After retiring in 1971, she has held master classes around the world. In addition, she also hosted the Hilde Zadek Vocal Competition in 1999. The competition is held every two years and the 11th competition should be held from April 22 to 27, 2019.

Photo：Vienna State Opera