Maria Ewing

Maria Ewing was generally regarded as one of the leading soprano/mezzo-sopranos from the last quarter of the 20th century. She withdrew from operatic performances in 1997 but continued to be active into the first decade of the 2000s. While her voice could divulge a great beauty of tone in its light quality, she was better known for her versatility and intensity in performance. Her dramatic skills were outstanding, and her ability to convey an exotic or erotic sense was uncanny. Her operatic repertory was extremely broad. Ewing also sang jazz songs and performed a range of works in recital, but much of it from opera, including Wagner and Rossini. Ewing's recordings are available on many major labels.