Peters (real name, Petermann), Roberta
Peters (real name, Petermann), Roberta
Peters (real name, Petermann), Roberta, outstanding American soprano; b. N.Y., May 4, 1930. She studied voice with William Pierce Hermann. At the age of 20, she made her operatic debut with the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Zerlina in Don Giovanni on Nov. 17, 1950, as a substitute on short notice; she subsequently remained on its roster for more than 40 years. She also sang with the opera companies of San Francisco and Chicago, at Covent Garden in London, at the Salzburg Festivals, and at the Vienna State Opera. In 1998 she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She was one of the leading coloratura sopranos of her generation; also appeared with success on television, films, and in musical comedies. She was briefly married to Robert Merrill . With Louis Biancolli, she wrote A Debut at the Met (1967).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire