Thebom Delivers in a Date with a Diva

By Lisa Gislason
Oregon Bach Festival staff

I always felt Wagner needed a good editor when he wrote Tristan und Isolde, but hearing Blanche Thebom singing the role of Brangane made me wish she had the 45-minute, sung monologue in Act III instead of Tristan.

It was 1944 when Ms. Thebom first graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. She went on to give over 300 performances there. Now at 88, her voice is still intact and she is the picture of elegance, poise, and beauty, much like her artistic presentations of the many roles she performed.

Festival volunteer Phyllis Villec had befriended Ms. Thebom in the SF area and invited her up to visit our Oregon festival. On July 6, Caitriona Bolster led Ms. Thebom in a conversational stroll through her life as a diva: being discovered on a ship bound for Sweden; working with the talents of Leonard Warren, Richard Tucker, John Gielgud, and Elenor Steber; her love of teaching and dedication to developing young artists today.

Ms. Villec helped to provide stills and archive video of her performances. And the audience eagerly asked questions.

Who did she admire as a singing colleague? 
Kirsten Flagstad, Zinka Milinov, Leonard Warren and director Alfred Lunt were among her favorites.

How did she keep good vocal health? 
Some of it is genetics and some comes from making sacrifices and hard work, she said. For Ms. Thebom, singing is a privilege. It is rewarding yet demanding. She has no patience for people who are extremely overweight. They are not taking care of their instrument and they aren’t respecting the requirements of the character/role from the opera.

How does she feel about acting in opera? 
For Ms. Thebom, opera is sung theater. A singer needs to possess a dramatic ability. The costume, era, and personage have to be visually correct when performing an opera.

What are the positives and negatives of directing singers?
The positives are the rapidity of change and progress young artists make. Teaching is the most fulfilling and exciting thing. It’s leaving something behind for singers to grow and build on as musicians and artists.