Carole Farley

Farley was born in Le Mars, Iowa on November 29, 1946.^[2] She began her vocal training with Dorothy Barnes in [[Moscow, Idaho].^[3] She graduated from Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington with a bachelor's degree in music in 1968.^[4] There she studied singing with William Shriner.^[2] She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich in 1968-1969^[4] under Marianne Schech.^[2] She later studied singing privately in New York City with Cornelius Reid.^[5]

She is married to conductor José Serebrier.^[4]

Farley began her performance career in 1968, and that year performed Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs with the Cleveland Philharmonic with her husband conducting.^[6] In 1969 she made her New York concert debut year at The Town Hall^[5] performing Benjamin Britten's song cycle Les Illuminations.^[7] That same year she made her opera debut as Formica in Peter Ronnefeld's Die Ameise at the Linz State Theatre in Germany,^[5] and performed the role of Magda Sorel in Spain's first production of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul in Madrid under the composer's direction.^[7] She sang leading roles at both La Monnaie and the Welsh National Opera in 1971 and 1972, and was resident artist at the Cologne Opera from 1972-1975.^[5]

In 1975 Farley made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in a matinee performance as Mimi in La bohème.^[8] In 1977 she sang the title role in the Metropolitan Opera's premiere of Lulu.^[9] In the late 1970s and 1980s she was known for singing demanding roles such as Lulu and the solo role in Poulenc's La voix humaine.^[10]

Farley has been collaborating in recent years with contemporary American classical composers including Ned Rorem, William Bolcom, and Lowell Liebermann on multiple concert and recording projects.^[10]

• DVD. Poulenc's La voix humaine and Menotti's The Telephone. Scottish Chamber Orchestra, dir. José Serebrier. Decca Music Group 1992, licensed to VAI 2006.

• Official website