Judith Blegen, Metropolitan Opera Soprano for 21 Seasons, Dies at 85

Judith Blegen, the American soprano who sang 284 performances at the Metropolitan Opera over 21 seasons, has died at the age of 85. The Metropolitan Opera announced her death on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and did not specify a date or a cause of death. OperaWire published its obituary at 12:39 UTC on Saturday, and Slippedisc published the Met statement the same day.

In its statement, the Met said: "The Metropolitan Opera mourns the death of Judith Blegen, a leading soprano with our company for 21 seasons." The company added: "We extend our sincere condolences to her son, Tom Singher, and all her family, friends, and admirers."

A violinist who became a soprano

Judith Eyer Blegen was born on April 27, 1941, in Fayette County, Kentucky, and she grew up in Missoula, Montana. She studied violin as a teenager and became concertmaster of her high school orchestra, while she also took voice lessons with John L. Lester of the University of Montana. She later studied voice at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, attended the Music Academy of the West in 1962, and trained in Rome with Luigi Ricci.

Her operatic debut came in Nuremberg in 1965, in the role of Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann. She sang Lucia, Susanna and Zerbinetta in Nuremberg, and she made her Italian debut in Spoleto the same year. In 1969 she made her Vienna State Opera debut, also as Olympia, and at the Santa Fe Opera she created the role of Emily in Gian Carlo Menotti's Help, Help, the Globolinks, a part that required her to sing and play the violin at the same time.

Twenty one seasons at the Met

Blegen made her Metropolitan Opera debut on January 19, 1970, as Papagena in The Magic Flute. She went on to sing 20 roles in 284 performances with the company. The Met said she was probably best known as Adina in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, opposite Luciano Pavarotti as Nemorino, in portrayals the two performed in four seasons and in a telecast in 1981.

Her most frequent role was Sophie in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, which she sang 37 times, including in a 1982 television broadcast. She also sang Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, and Melisande in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande. She made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London in 1975 and at the Palais Garnier in Paris in 1977, and in the 1970s she was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Recordings and retirement

Blegen recorded widely, including Berg's Lulu Suite, Puccini's La Boheme, Haydn's The Creation and Faure's Requiem, and she made three solo recital albums. Her recording of the Lulu Suite under Pierre Boulez earned a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance in 1981. In 1983 she received the Montana Governor's Arts Award.

She retired from the stage in 1991, with a final Met appearance as Marzelline in Fidelio. She was married to Raymond Gniewek, the longtime concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, who died in 2021. She is survived by her son, Tom Singher.