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Maria van Dongen was born on March 23th, 1928. She made her opera debut with the Nederlandsche Opera on February 24th, 1953 as one of the Brautjungfern (bride maidens) in Weber's Der Freischütz. Agathe was sung by Greet Koeman, Max alternating by Frans Vroons and Jan van Mantgem. In September of the same year she sang this role again. In December 1954 she got to sing a major role: Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. She sang further Saffi in Strauss' Der Zigeunerbaron (1955), 2e nice in Peter Grimes (Britten, 1955), Leonora - alternating with Greet Koeman and Gré Brouwenstijn (!) in La forza del destino (Verdi, 1956), Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly (Puccini, 1957), Elisabetta di Valois - again alternating with Gré Brouwenstijn - in Don Carlos (Verdi, 1957), La contessa di Ceprano in Rigoletto (Verdi, 1957), Annina in La traviata (Verdi, 1957), Desdemona in Otello (Verdi, 1957), Marina in Die vier Grobiane (Wolf-Ferrari, 1958), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Mozart, 1958), and Suor zelatrice in Suor Angelica (Puccini, 1958).

In 1958 she sang during the Holland Festival in the world premiere of Sem Dresden's opera François Villon. Hans Wilbrink sang the title role.

Sem Dresden's opera François Villon, Holland Festival 1958
v.l.n.r. Cora Canne Meijer, Maria van Dongen, Hans Wilbrink en Frances de Bossy 

From 1959 until 1965 Maria van Dongen joined the opera of Zurich, where she debuted as Leonore in Verdi's La forza del destino. She became international known by her appearances in many European theatres, such as the opera of Frankfurt (1962), Londen Albert Hall (Le nozze di Figaro, 1962), Teatro Comunale Bologna (1963), Teatro Regio Parma as Elisabeth (Tannhäuser, 1963) and in the Teatro Verdi Pisa as Elsa in Lohengrin.

From Zurich, where she lived, she appeared in guest appearances with the opera of Munich (from 1964) and the opera of Vienna (from 1967). In Vienna she sang a.o. the role of Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos by R. Strauss, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Senta in The flying Dutchman and Desdemona in Verdi's Otello. In Munich she sang in 1967 the title role in Richard Strauss' opera Die Liebe der Danaë and Irene in Wagner's Rienzi, in 1970 Rosalinde in Der Fledermaus.

In 1965 she appeared at the opera of Graz, in 1968 at the Deutschen Oper Berlin, in 1964 at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and at the Teatro Liceo Barcelona (as Leonore in Fidelio). At the Scala in Milan she was to hear in 1964 as Donna Elvira, just as in 1964 in Cagliari and in 1968 at the Teatro Verdi in Triest. In 1967 she sang at the Staatsoper von Hamburg the role of Leonore in Fidelio and appeared again in this role in 1971 at the Landestheater Innsbruck, the theatre she joined these period.

After her period with the opera of Zurich Maria van Dongen sang in the Netherlands in guest appearances with the Nederlandse Opera, a.o. as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Mozart, 1963), the countess in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart, 1966) and Leonore in Fidelio (Beethoven, 1966). Her final appearance with the Nederlandse Opera was as 1e Norne (Norwegian fates) in Götterdämmerung (Wagner, 1967). She also sang several times at the Munt (Théatre de la Monnaie) in Brussels (1964, 1966) in various roles. Beside as opera singer Maria van Dongen was also an feted concert singer. She appeared for instance in 1963 in a concert entirely devoted to Mozart.

Maria van Dongen in Verdi's Don Carlos: 'Tu'che la vanità'

Conductor in this performance from 1960 - there seems to be a complete recording - is Carlo Maria Giulini

(p) 2007 Dutch Divas