The Cosmos Club is honored to present the 2009 Cosmos Club Award to Frederica von Stade.
One of the world’s most renowned mezzo-sopranos, in her brilliant career of more than thirty years Miss von Stade has performed on the stages of all the great opera houses and concert halls. A consummately versatile artist, she has mastered a wide range of musical styles and dramatic portrayals. These have ranged from her renditions of the great bel canto composers Bellini and Rossini and the orchestrated songs of Ravel, Berlioz, and Canteloube, to the work of modern American composers such as Richard Danielpour and Dominick Argento.
Miss von Stade’s achievements are not limited to the opera stage. She has appeared in concert with many leading orchestras in the United States and overseas. Her artistry has been disseminated widely through more than seventy recordings and numerous appearances on television, among them “Live from the Met” and “Live from Lincoln Center” performances on public television.
The first opera singer to receive the Cosmos Club Award, Miss von Stade is already the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates and awards. Far from being the stereotypical temperamental operatic “diva,” Miss von Stade is famed for her grace and generosity toward others. She plans to retire from her singing career next year and to work as a “community organizer,” helping children in Oakland, California. She will donate her honorarium from the Club to “my little choir” at the St. Martin de Poores School.
