Ara Berberian

Who was Ara Berberian?

Ara Berberian was an American operatic bass singer.

Berberian made his debut in 1958 with the Turnau Opera in Woodstock, New York, as Don Magnifico in Rossini's La Cenerentola. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1979 as Zacharie in Giacomo Meyerbeer's Le prophète. He also sang with the New York City Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Michigan Opera Theatre. In all, he sang over 100 roles during his career, perhaps most notably in the role of Osmin in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and the role of Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto.

Berberian was of Armenian ancestry and, in addition to his operatic repertoire, also sang and recorded music by Armenian and Armenian-American composers such as Komitas and Alan Hovhaness; he recorded three LP albums of the latter composer's songs.

Berberian was an active environmentalist and had a keen interest in preserving forest land and old barns.