CORA CANNE MEIJER

Cora Canne Meijer

Cora Canne Meijer is a celebrated mezzo-soprano who performs in opera, songs and oratorios. She also is deeply interested in theatre and has earned praise for her acting. She is best-known for her Carmen, a role she aspired to from youth: “When I heard opera on the radio, a whole ...
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mezzosopraan

Mentioned in the biography of

1958   Cateau Engelen-Sewing
1961   Irene Maessen
1983   Sytse Buwalda

Biography Cora Canne Meijer

Cora Canne Meijer is a celebrated mezzo-soprano who performs in opera, songs and oratorios. She also is deeply interested in theatre and has earned praise for her acting. She is best-known for her Carmen, a role she aspired to from youth: “When I heard opera on the radio, a whole world opened up to me. […] In Carmen, you are onstage the entire evening. It is a formidable acting role. With dance, spoken text, all kinds of things are going on.” (Vrij Nederland, 2005) Along with her singing career, Canne Meijer has built a successful career as a singing teacher. She is a passionate teacher and has developed her own method for vocal training. She is also the founder of Stichting Zangstudie Vox Sana [Vox Sana Foundation for Vocal Studies] and a co-founder of the European Voice Teachers Association.

1929

Cora Canne Meijer is born in Amsterdam on October 27. As a youth she sings in a children's choir. From age 6 she is determined to be in the theatre. Her piano teacher also gives her singing lessons; the first piece she learns to sing is Schubert's 'Gretchen am Spinnrade'. Cora Canne Meijer studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Jan Keizer and Re Koster.

1950

Canne Meijer makes her opera debut in the Netherlands as Annina in Verdi's 'La Traviata'. In subsequent years she performs in a number of roles, including Orlofsky in Strauss's 'Die Fledermaus', Cherubino in Mozart's 'Le nozze di Figaro', and Rosina in Rossini's 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia'. She has lessons in Vienna with Alfred Jerger and in Paris with Noémie Perugia.

1954

Canne Meijer is acclaimed for her performance in the title role of Ambroise Thomas' 'Mignon'.

1957

Canne Meijer is celebrated at the Glyndebourne Festival for her role in 'Le nozze di Figaro'.

1960 - 1962

Canne Meijer signs a two-year contract with city theatre in Zurich. She is praised for her role as Eboli in Verdi's 'Don Carlo'. She has a clause inserted in her contract that she may also sing Carmen, the role of her dreams: “And so I did. The first time I sang it was in German, and later I studied and sang Carmen in French and Dutch. How many times did I play her? Certainly more that 160”. (Vrij Nederland, 2005)

1964

Canne Meijer begins teaching singing at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam.

1971

At the last moment, Canne Meijer is asked to substitute as Carmen for a singer who has become ill. She gives a glorious performance for her “own” audience at the Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg. She would later perform various other roles in this theatre.

1982

Canne Meijer sings Carmen for the last time in a series of performances with De Nederlandse Opera Sichting.

1983

She approaches various colleagues about establishing an association of voice teachers. As the first chairwoman, she ensures that the Genootschap van Zangleraren [Association of Voice Teachers] has a distinctive profile in the Dutch musical world.

1986

Canne Meijer sings in her last Holland Festival performances the role of Bianca in Benjamin Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia'.

1989

Canne Meijer directs a performance in Winterswijk – given by young Dutch singers – of Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'.

1994

Though she resigns as a singing teacher from Amsterdam's Sweelinck Conservatory, she still teaches students and professional singers.

1996

After a lengthy period out of the public eye, Canne Meijer sings “in grand fashion” (Trouw, 1999) the role of the blind Madelon in Umberto Giordano's 'Andrea Chénier' in the Saturday Matinee Series in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

1999

Canne Meijer sings Zita in Puccini's 'Gianni Schicchi'. She says: “I see it as a kind of research into how long one can go on, partly as an example to others who think that you're finished as a singer at 50.” (NRC Handelsblad, 1999) On October 27, she celebrates her 70th birthday. Her musical life remains full with teaching, sitting on juries, writing, and promoting teaching methods.

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