Stevens, Rise, << REE suh >> (1913-2013), an American opera singer, became a famous mezzo-soprano. She won international recognition during her long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Stevens’s beauty and vivacious personality also extended her appeal beyond the opera world. She appeared in a few Hollywood movies during the 1940’s, notably Going My Way (1944), as well as many radio programs.
Rise Steenberg was born on June 11, 1913, in New York City. She studied at the Juilliard School of Music for three years and then went to Vienna, Austria, for further musical training. She made her debut in 1936 in Prague, now in the Czech Republic. She also sang with the Vienna State Opera and at the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Stevens returned to the United States in 1938 and made her Metropolitan Opera debut that year. She was considered the Met’s leading mezzo-soprano for more than 20 years. She was especially noted for her fiery performance in the title role in the French composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen.
Stevens retired as a singer in 1961 and then served as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera Touring Company until 1966. From 1980 to 1988, she directed the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, which identify promising new singers. She was also president of the Mannes College of Music from 1975 to 1978. Stevens died on March 20, 2013, at the age of 99.
