Caballé, Montserrat

celebrated Spanish soprano; b. Barcelona, Apr. 12, 1933. Caballé learned to sing at a convent that she attended as a child. At age eight she was accepted at the Conservatorio del Liceo in Barcelona. She graduated in 1953, then went to Italy, where she sang minor roles.

After a successful appearance as Mimi in LA BOHÈME at

the Basel Opera, Caballé advanced rapidly, singing many standard operatic roles. She also mastered such difficult modern parts as Salome, Elektra, and Marie in ALBAN BERG'S WOZZECK. She filled guest engagements at the Vienna State Opera, then made a grand tour through Germany. In 1964 she sang Manon in Mexico City and married Bernabé Marti, a Spanish tenor, with whom she subsequently appeared in joint recitals.

Caballé made a triumphant American debut in 1965, when she was summoned to substitute for MARILYN HORNE in the title role of DONIZETTI'S Lucrezia Borgia. The usually restrained N.Y. critics praised her without reservation for the beauty of her voice and expressiveness of her dramatic interpretation. Several other American appearances followed, all highly successful. She made her debut at N.Y.'s Metropolitan Opera as Marguerite in 1965, subsequently appearing there in a wide variety of roles. In 1989 she created the role of Queen Isabella in Leonardo Balada's Cristobal Coló n in Barcelona.