Ted Puffer
Encyclopedia
Merle "Ted" Puffer was an American voice teacher and translator.
He taught the mezzo-soprano
Dolora Zajick
when she was launching her career.
With his wife Deena Puffer, he translated The Merry Widow
into English, producing a libretto favored by some singers.
He was the founder of the Nevada Opera, and its artistic director through the 1998/99 season. He taught in the music department of the University of Nevada, Reno
from 1966 to 1994, and served as chair of the department. In 1965, Puffer recorded two albums of Charles Ives' Songs on Folkways Records
. From 1994 until his death in 2003 he was on the voice faculty of the Manhattan School of Music
in New York City
.
The Puffers' daughter, Monica Harte, sings professionally and teaches singing, based in New York.
He taught the mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
Dolora Zajick
Dolora Zajick
Dolora Zajick is an American mezzo-soprano who specializes in the Verdian repertoire. Zajick is arguably the leading exponent in the dramatic Verdian mezzo-soprano repertoire....
when she was launching her career.
With his wife Deena Puffer, he translated The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
into English, producing a libretto favored by some singers.
He was the founder of the Nevada Opera, and its artistic director through the 1998/99 season. He taught in the music department of the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
from 1966 to 1994, and served as chair of the department. In 1965, Puffer recorded two albums of Charles Ives' Songs on Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
. From 1994 until his death in 2003 he was on the voice faculty of the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The Puffers' daughter, Monica Harte, sings professionally and teaches singing, based in New York.
Selected discography
- Charles Ives Songs, Vol. 1: 1894-1915 (Folkways, 1965)
- Charles Ives Songs, Vol. 2: 1915-1925 (Folkways, 1965)
External links
- Puffer Selected Discography at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...