Diva dies, 75
RIPThe death is recorded of the distinguished American soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez, star of the 1981 French thriller movie, Diva. She had been suffering from cancer.
After the movie she made some quirky career decisions, cancelling a Luisa Miller at the Met in favour of singing Carmen Jones in London’s West End.In another spectacular, she appeared as Aida beneath the Egyptian pyramids. In later years, she taught children with disabilities in Lexington, Kentucky.
Bruce Duffie conducted an extended interview with her here.
I saw her sing Aida for Opera North at the Palace in Manchester, back in the mid-eighties. Excellent singer and exquisitely beautiful. RIP and thank you.
I saw her in Canada, where she toured not long after Diva. She was indeed very fine, and while she would never have won an acting Oscar, she was very impressive in Diva — a wonderful film I have never seen since and must. That film sold a lot of concert tickets and with luck built a few opera fans.
RIP. 75 is no age.
She was notable as Bess in the touring Houston Opera that came here to Washington. I believe she married Andrew Smith, who had recorded Crown when that production was on Broadway.
After DIVA, Ms. Fernandez made only a few recordings, including a fine selection of spirituals for the Tioch label — and I am listening to that right now.
She was a wonderful Musetta at the Paris Opera in, I think, 1980. A star-studded cast – te Kanawa as Mimi and Domingo as Rodolfo. Nello Santi conducted. Long and well-deserved ovations throughout the performance. A golden period at the Paris Opera