Alumni Profile: Sarah Caldwell '46, '79 hon. D.M.
Violin Performance
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Sarah Caldwell, the first woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera, was the founder of the Opera Company of Boston, which for years presented some of the most innovative opera productions in the world. Caldwell gave Boston opera lovers an experience that has not been matched before or since, with her vivid staging of works such as Schoenberg's Moses und Aron and Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini (both U.S. premieres) and for bringing artists such as Beverly Sills, Donald Gramm, Jon Vickers, and Placido Domingo to the Hub.
Caldwell came to NEC in the 1940s to study violin and viola. But after an introduction to opera through another legend, NEC opera director Boris Goldovsky, she changed paths. With Goldovsky as her mentor, she plunged into the world of opera. By 1957 Caldwell had formed her own professional company, one that was active for more than 30 years.