Curtis Mourns the Passing of Clara O'Brien (Opera '87)
The Curtis community mourns the loss of esteemed opera singer and alumna Clara O’Brien (Opera ’87), professor of voice at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Admired for her “exquisite mezzo timbre and flawless vocal technique” (Opernwelt) as for her “towering acting ability” (Die Welt), Ms. O’Brien was known for her unusually large vocal and stylistic range. She received her Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music, her Master of Music degree and performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music, and completed her opera training at the Curtis Institute of Music, followed by a year’s residency with Chicago’s Lyric Opera Center for American Artists.
Her international career began when she was awarded the Sonderpreis des Badischen Staatstheaters—a prize created especially for her at the first International Coloratura Competition by Sylvia Geszty in Stuttgart, Germany. Shortly thereafter, Ms. O’Brien began appearing regularly on opera stages throughout Germany, Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland; and in Chicago and Dallas.
An award-winning interpreter of art song, she won the Grand Prix Paul Derenne and International Concours de chant de Paris. In Germany, her performances of late-Romantic and Modernist German lieder garnered critical praise. Ms. O’Brien can be heard on various recordings, including releases on the Bella Musica, Metiér, Ablaze, and Albany Records labels, and she was recorded and broadcast on Southwest German radio and television and NPR.
In 2003, she began teaching at UNC Greensboro and continued to perform regularly and give master classes in the United States and Europe. She also served as the co-director of À la carte, a concert series of eclectic music, alongside her husband Dr. Lance Hulme, professor of music at North Carolina Central University.
Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to Ms. O’Brien’s family, friends, colleagues, and her students.
Photos of Clara O’Brien courtesy of Ablaze Records.
