Mary Ellen Pracht, 1934–2021
The Metropolitan Opera mourns the death of soprano Mary Ellen Pracht, who sang 314 performances with the company from 1961 until 1977. Of her 35 roles at the Met, the most frequent were the Priestess in Verdi’s Aida, First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen. In 1966, she sang Octavia in the world premiere of Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra (pictured above) to open the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.