Maria Ewing

Maria Louise Ewing (born March 27, 1950) is an American opera singer who has sung both soprano and mezzo-soprano roles. She is noted as much for her acting as her singing.
Early life and education.
Maria Louise Ewing was born in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. the youngest of four daughters. Her mother, Hermina M. (née Veraar), was Dutch and her father, Norman I. Ewing, was an American of Native American, African American and Scottish ancestry. She graduated from Detroit's Finney High School in 1968. Ewing later studied in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City.
Career.
Ewing made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976 in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro". Her first European performance was at La Scala, Milan as Mélisande in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande". Her repertoire includes Carmen, Dorabella in Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", Salome, the title role in "L'incoronazione di Poppea", Marie in Berg's "Wozzeck" and Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk". Ewing is particularly well known for her sensitive interpretation of the title role in Richard Strauss's "Salome", where Oscar Wilde's stage directions for the original play specify that, at the end of the so-called Dance of the Seven Veils, Salome lies naked at Herod's feet. Ewing appeared fully nude at the end of this sequence, in contrast to other singers who have used body stockings. She also sang and appeared in Henry Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas".
Ewing's discography includes video versions of "Salome", "L'incoronazione di Poppea", and "Carmen" and audio versions of "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" and "Pelléas et Mélisande". She has also recorded concert music by Ravel, Berlioz and Debussy and programs of popular American song. She played Rosina in a Glyndebourne production of "Il barbiere di Siviglia" (1982), available on DVD. Her starring performance in the Metropolitan Opera's 1987 production of "Dialogues of the Carmelites" was also recorded and made available as a stream.
Ewing has also sung jazz in live performance, including appearances with the band Kymaera at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.
Personal life.
In 1982, she married the English theatre director Sir Peter Hall, and during this period of her life was formally styled "Lady Hall". The couple divorced in 1990. Their daughter is the actress Rebecca Hall. As of 2003, she lived in Sussex, England.