Cathy Berberian

Berberian trained in mime, writing, and opera at Columbia and New York Universities, studied Hindu and Spanish dance, performed as soloist with the Armenian Dance Group, and received vocal instruction from Vigo. Her first appearance took place in Naples in 1957, with her United States debut following in 1960 at Tanglewood. Numerous composers, among them Stravinsky and Henze, have created pieces expressly for her voice. Her programs encompass an unusually broad spectrum, ranging from seventeenth-century opera to folk songs. She has also produced her own compositions, among them Stripsody for solo voice, written in 1966, and Morsicat(h)y for piano, completed in 1971.