Kuhlmann, Kathleen
Kuhlmann, Kathleen
Kuhlmann, Kathleen, American mezzo-soprano; b. San Francisco, Dec. 7, 1950. She studied in San Francisco and at the Chicago Lyric Opera School, making her debut as Maddalena in Rigoletto with that company in 1979. She made her European debut in 1980 as Preziosilla in La forza del destino at the Cologne Opera; subsequently appeared at Milan’s La Scala (as Meg Page in Falstaff; Dec. 7, 1980) and at London’s Covent Garden (as Ino and Juno in Handel’s Semele; Nov. 25, 1982). She sang the leading role in La Cenerentola at the Glynde-bourne Festival in 1983. In 1987 she scored a major success as Falliero in Rossini’s Bianca e Pallierò in its U.S. premiere at the Greater Miami Opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Charlotte in Werther on March 2, 1989. In 1991 she was a soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Sym. at the London Promenade Concerts. In 1992 she appeared as Cenerentola at Dresden’s Semper Opera. She sang Cornelia in Giulio Cesare at the Munich Festival and at the Opéra de la Bastille in Paris in 1997. In 1999 she returned to Paris as Bradamante in Alcina. Among her other notable roles are Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri, Dorabella, Rosina, Arsace in Semira-mide, and Carmen.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire