Arlene Saunders

Who is Arlene Saunders?

Arlene Saunders is an American spinto soprano opera singer. After making her operatic debut as Rosalinde von Eisenstein, in Die Fledermaus, with the National Opera Company in 1958, she made her first appearance with the New York City Opera in 1961, as Giorgetta in Il tabarro. With that company, she soon sang in Carmen, La bohème, Louise, Die lustige Witwe and Don Giovanni.

In 1964, Saunders began a relationship with the Hamburg State Opera, with whom she made films of Le nozze di Figaro, Der Freischütz, and Die Meistersinger. With the company she also created the part of the music teacher in the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's Help, Help, the Globolinks! in 1968. For RCA, she recorded Il re pastore, in 1967. In 1971, she created the title role in Ginastera's Beatrix Cenci, which she repeated at the City Opera in 1973. She sang at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976, as Eva in Die Meistersinger, and in 1978, the soprano returned to the City Opera for La fanciulla del West. She also appeared at Milan, London, Paris, Vienna, Rome and Buenos Aires.