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in
Memphis. She has received numerous awards, including the Dorothy B. Chandler Award, the Mafalda Favero Award, the Arts and Humanities Award from the Germantown Arts Alliance, the Amphion Award from the Memphis Symphony, 2010 Emissary of Memphis Music, and the Distinguished Achievement Award from
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Raised in
Illinois, Esperian began ballet lessons at the age of three and piano lessons at the age of ten. Although she always loved to sing, and sang in her school's choruses, she did not begin private voice lessons until after turning sixteen. She attended the University of Illinois,
624:. Her activities included master classes, classes for voice students and other music students, appearances on campus and off campus, and work with the University of Mississippi Opera Theatre.
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617:. Esperian is the only one of "The Three Sopranos" to have performed individually with each one of the "Three Tenors" in concerts and in opera houses around the world.
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Champaign-Urbana, where she earned her bachelor of music degree in vocal performance. Having deep
Southern roots, Esperian has lived in Memphis, Tennessee since 1982.
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in London. These concerts have been televised and have been released internationally on CD and video. In 1991, she partnered
Pavarotti in Verdi's
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with
Pavarotti. Since then she has sung at most of the world's important opera houses, specializing in Italian opera, particularly in
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director suggested she pursue voice in college. She would later go on to win her high school's "1990 Distinguished
Graduate Award."
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In 2004 and 2005 Esperian sang Cio-Cio-san with the
Metropolitan Opera of New York in the fall and winter season's performances of
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Esperian was one of the Three
Sopranos produced by Tibor Rudas Theatrical Productions and a soprano counterpart to the
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the
University of Memphis. In 2017 Esperian was recipient of the Tennessee Governor's Distinguished Artist Award.
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and in 1993, she appeared in the Met Gala celebrating the 25th anniversary of
Pavarotti and
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International Voice Competition in 1985 and is best known for her performances in major
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She has sung the Verdi Requiem with several of the world's great conductors, including
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Esperian has appeared with Pavarotti in his annual concert, Pavarotti Plus, in 1991 at
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In 2007, Kallen recorded a CD of rock and jazz classics, which includes a cover of "
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when she was eleven months old. After her mother remarried, she moved to
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823:"Boston News, Weather and Sports – Massachusetts News – WCVB Channel 5"
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In 2011–2012, Esperian held the position of Artist in Residence at the
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as well as concerts in Johnstown, Memphis, Tennessee, and Mexico City.
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272:. While still in college, she was cast in a touring production of
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Esperian joined the Opera Orchestra of New York as Desdemona at
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798:"Review/Opera; Tenors in a Friendly Duel Open the Met's Season"
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
18:
266:. During her freshman year, she performed her first opera,
867:"Department of Music | The University of Mississippi"
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opposite Pavarotti and subsequently appeared in the film
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lessons when she was three years old and soon picked up
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Esperian received a full scholarship to study opera at
384:. She also recorded vocals for two songs on the album
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610:'s first assumption of the role of Otello at age 75.
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Esperian received an honorary doctorate degree from
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337:with Pavarotti and Domingo both singing Manrico.
327:at the house. She sang Desdemona to Pavarotti's
227:grandfather, Kalouste, who escape Armenia from
955:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
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346:in 2004, a role she first performed for the
215:Kallen Esperian was born on June 8, 1961 in
744:"Memphis Downtowner Magazine - My 2 Cents"
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56:about living persons that is unsourced or
980:21st-century American women opera singers
975:20th-century American women opera singers
195:(born June 8, 1961) is an American lyric
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
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896:University of Mississippi Music Faculty
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264:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
177:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
649:Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
641:St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
231:invasion. Her birth father died of a
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995:American people of Armenian descent
769:"Kallen Esperian: FACES of Memphis"
767:Owen, Christian (9 November 2014).
639:She has given benefit concerts for
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985:Classical musicians from Illinois
16:American opera singer (born 1961)
960:People from Barrington, Illinois
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448:, Desdemona, and Alice Ford in
404:Royal Opera House Covent Garden
990:People from Waukegan, Illinois
645:Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
1:
707:Engber, Martha (1991-06-02).
480:Teatro di San Carlo in Naples
340:She also sang Cio-Cio-san in
278:Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
34:biography of a living person
556:. She has also sung at the
251:lessons. Esperian attended
61:must be removed immediately
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965:American operatic sopranos
891:Kallen Esperian's homepage
466:Teatro Comunale di Bologna
223:. She was named after her
748:www.memphisdowntowner.com
622:University of Mississippi
402:Esperian has sung at the
432:Opéra National de Paris
390:, with Memphis rappers
354:in 2002 as well as for
844:"La Commedia è Finita"
456:Lyric Opera of Chicago
362:in Charlotte, and the
253:Barrington High School
239:, Illinois. She began
48:Please help by adding
970:Singers from Illinois
796:(29 September 1993).
552:, under the baton of
709:"The Diva Next Door"
543:Un ballo in maschera
534:Bavarian State Opera
54:Contentious material
526:and Opera Memphis;
392:Lord T & Eloise
309:and in 1995 at the
802:The New York Times
564:, Berlin, and the
546:and Elisabetta in
274:The Beggar's Opera
166:Waukegan, Illinois
794:Rothstein, Edward
669:"Kallen Esperian"
577:Giuseppe Sinopoli
558:Berlin Staatsoper
488:Los Angeles Opera
428:Teatro alla Scala
398:World appearances
356:New Orleans Opera
348:Nederlandse Opera
311:Royal Albert Hall
201:Luciano Pavarotti
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76:"Kallen Esperian"
37:needs additional
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524:Pittsburgh Opera
458:; Desdemona and
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413:Simon Boccanegra
406:as Desdemona in
371:Madama Butterfly
343:Madama Butterfly
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292:Distant Harmony
269:The Magic Flute
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629:Rhodes College
608:Carlo Bergonzi
434:; Mimí at the
410:and Amelia in
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378:Immigrant Song
360:Opera Carolina
307:Lincoln Center
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199:. She won the
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869:. Olemiss.edu
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846:. 29 May 2000
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871:. Retrieved
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597:David Zinman
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334:Il trovatore
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316:Luisa Miller
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282:Philadelphia
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255:, where her
233:heart attack
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186:Opera singer
159:June 8, 1961
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97:
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43:verification
36:
945:1961 births
589:Daniel Oren
581:Robert Shaw
554:Zubin Mehta
509:La Traviata
387:Aristocrunk
284:as Mimi in
939:Categories
873:2017-04-18
753:2021-07-03
720:2021-07-02
678:2021-07-03
655:References
522:with both
500:Semperoper
237:Barrington
183:Occupation
155:1961-06-08
87:newspapers
917:Biography
549:Don Carlo
442:; Liú in
423:Stiffelio
352:Amsterdam
294:while in
287:La bohème
117:July 2020
39:citations
850:18 April
828:18 April
807:18 April
778:27 March
647:and the
498:for the
484:Falstaff
454:for the
451:Falstaff
445:Turandot
225:Armenian
221:Illinois
217:Waukegan
65:libelous
903:Portals
532:at the
504:Dresden
478:at the
475:Requiem
464:at the
426:at the
319:at the
302:roles.
229:Turkish
211:History
197:soprano
101:scholar
595:, and
560:, the
538:Munich
516:, and
408:Otello
329:Otello
257:choral
241:ballet
103:
96:
89:
82:
74:
929:Opera
865:USA.
519:Norma
512:with
496:Tosca
470:Verdi
380:" by
300:Verdi
296:China
249:piano
245:voice
205:opera
108:JSTOR
94:books
32:This
852:2017
830:2017
809:2017
780:2023
673:IMDb
606:for
494:and
492:Aida
486:for
247:and
149:Born
80:news
41:for
536:in
502:in
472:'s
438:in
420:in
350:in
321:Met
276:by
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