Flagstad, Kirsten

Flagstad, Kirsten (kir'stun flăg'stăd, Nor. khish'tun fläg'stä) [key], 1895–1962, Norwegian soprano. She made her debut in 1913 but sang only in Scandinavia until 1934, when she appeared at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1935 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, as Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre and was soon acclaimed as the greatest living Wagnerian soprano. In 1941 she returned to Norway. From 1947 until 1953, when she retired, she sang in the United States and Europe.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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