Ruth Falcon

In Memoriam
November 2, 1942 – October 9, 2020

Soprano Ruth Falcon, Voice Teacher, won wide acclaim in performances at the leading opera houses in Europe. In 1989 she made a spectacular Metropolitan Opera debut as the Kaiserin in Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten. The chief music critic for The New York Times said that “her robust and glistening voice easily pierced the lushest orchestrations.” She sang many other leading roles at the Met, including Turandot and Chrysothemis. Born in New Orleans, Ms. Falcon was the winner of several important international competitions, including those of Bussetto, Vercelli, Rio de Janeiro, Geneva, and the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. She made her professional debut as Micaëla at New York City Opera in 1974 and began her international career in 1976, when she joined the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Ms. Falcon performed with many of the world’s great conductors, including Christoph von Dohnanyi, Seiji Ozawa, and Andrew Davis. She may be heard in recordings of Wagner’s Ring and Die Walküre. Ms. Falcon was also a voice teacher of international reputation. She trained many star performers on the operatic stage, including Deborah Voigt and Sondra Radvanovsky, and was on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music.