September 13 — On This Day in Opera

Gavin Bryars's chamber opera "Marilyn Forever", with a libretto by Marilyn Bowering, received its world premiere at the MacPherson Playhouse in Victoria, British Columbia, performed by Aventa Ensemble.

Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian-American composer whose operatic and dramatic works include "Erwartung" and "Moses und Aron", was born in Vienna.

Hipólito Lázaro, Spanish tenor celebrated for his powerful upper register and performances in Italian and Spanish opera, was born in Barcelona.

Robert Ward, American composer best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera "The Crucible", was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Birth of Peruvian-American singer Yma Súmac (Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri), famed for her extraordinary five-octave vocal range and operatic crossover repertoire.

Melitta Muszely, Austrian soprano associated with the Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, and Komische Oper Berlin, was born in Vienna; she became especially noted for portraying all four principal female roles in Offenbach's "Les contes d'Hoffmann".

Death of American operatic soprano Frances Peralta, a prominent Met singer known for roles in "Falstaff", "Don Carlo", "Aida", and "La Forza del Destino".

Birth of American soprano Arleen Auger, renowned for her purity of tone and brilliant coloratura technique in opera and recital.