Brouwenstijn, Gré (actually, Gerarda Demphina Van Swol)

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Brouwenstijn, Gré (actually, Gerarda Demphina Van Swol)

Brouwenstijn, Gré (actually, Gerarda Demphina Van Swol) Dutch soprano; b. Den Helder, Aug. 26, 1915; d. Amsterdam, Dec. 14, 1999. She studied at the Amsterdam Music Lyceum. In 1940 she made her operatic debut as one of the three ladies in Die Zauberflòte in Amsterdam. In 1946 she became a member of the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam. In 1951 she made her debut at London’s Covent Garden as Aida, and continued to make regular appearances there until 1964. She also sang at the Bayreuth Festivals (1954–56), at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1958), and at the Lyric Opera in Chicago (1959). In 1971 she gave her farewell performance in Fidelio in Amsterdam. Brouwenstijn was particularly esteemed for her Verdi and Wagner roles.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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Brouwenstijn, Gré (actually, Gerarda Demphina Van Swol)

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