Above: Marcia Baldwin with her longtime companion Nira Frohnmayer
Today I learned of the passing of Marcia Baldwin, the American mezzo-soprano who sang more than 450 performances with the Metropolitan Opera Company between 1963 and 1977. Marcia was my first Siebel in FAUST (at the Old Met) and my first Hansel (at the new house).
A frequent Flora in TRAVIATA and Priestess in AIDA, Marcia also was heard as Nicklausse in HOFFMANN, Suzuki in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Meg Page in FALSTAFF, the Composer in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, and as Magdalene in MEISTERSINGER. On tour with the Company, she also sang Cherubino and Octavian.
When I was working at Tower Records at the turn of the millennium, Marcia and Nira would stop in whenever they were in town. We enjoyed reminiscing about the years that Marcia had spent singing at The Met. I was very sorry to read of her death.