Masterson, Valerie

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Masterson, Valerie

Masterson, Valerie, English soprano; b. Birkenhead, June 3, 1937. She studied at the Matthay School of Music in Liverpool and the Royal Coll. of Music in London; also in Milan. She made her debut as Frasquita in Carmen at the Salzburg Landestheater in 1963; then sang with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Co. in London (1966–70); became a member of the Sadler’s Wells Opera in London in 1970; from 1974, sang at Co vent Garden in London. She made her debut at the Paris Opéra as Marguerite (1978); made her U.S. debut as Violetta with the San Francisco Opera (1980). As a guest artist, she appeared in opera and concert around the world. In 1988 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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