| Biography | Born: October 16, 1940 - Zürich, Switzerland
The Swiss soprano, Elisabeth Speiser, undertook vocal studies with Sylvia Gähwiller in Winterthur and Zürich, then with Margaretha Sparber in Vienna.
Elisabeth Speiser's international career as a concert and oratorio singer commenced in 1960. She has also sung lieder at the festivals of Luzerne, Montreux, Zurich, Berlin, Ludwigsburg, Savonlinna and Helsinki. In her lieder recitals Speiser often collaborated with the pianist Irwin Gage. Together these two musicians have also recorded the songs of 20th century composers, such as Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg and Schreker. Her appearance on the opera stage has been limited, her best known role being Pamina in The Magic Flute, which Speiser sang in Ludwigsburg, Glyndebourne, Staatsoper Berlin, Versailles and Zürich. She has also sung Mélisande, as well as Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo and Euridice with Janet Baker at Glyndebourne. Speiser also has to her credit numerous studio, radio and TV recordings and has been a jury member of several international music competitions. |