Charlotte Huhn (1865-1925).

  • Profession: Alto
  • Relation to Mahler: Worked with Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) in the Vienna State Opera
  • Correspondence with Mahler: 
  • Born: 15-09-1865 Luneburg, Germany
  • Died: 15-06-1925 Hamburg, Germany
  • Buried: 00-00-0000 
  1. 1899 Opera Vienna 04-05-1899.

Huhn was born as the youngest of five children of a hairdressing family in the Lüneburg Grapengießerstraße 27. When her father died, one of her brothers took over the hair salon and largely financed the maintenance and training costs. In 1881, the musically talented Charlotte Therese Caroline Huhn began her vocal studies at the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. The wife of the mayor of the city of Lüneburg, Marie Gravenhorst, also contributed as a patron to finance the study of music.

After graduating in 1885 in Cologne she first appeared as a concert singer. Afterwards she continued her education in Berlin in 1887 with the private music teacher Julius Hey (1832-1909) and with the vocal pedagogue Mathilde Mallinger (1847-1920).

Her debut was in 1889 in the Berlin Kroll Opera as the title hero in the Orpheus of Gluck. She then performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera until 1891. There she sang the role of Mary in the world premiere of the Flying Dutchman. In 1890 she took part in guest performances of the Metropolitan Opera in Chicago and Boston.

In 1891 she participated as a concert singer at the Silesian Music Festival in Wroclaw. Subsequently, she received a commitment at the Opera House in Cologne. Huhn said goodbye to Cologne in the title role of “Orpheus” by Gluck. On October 1, 1895 she went to the Court Opera Dresden. There she worked in 1898 in the newly staged opera Kirke.

In a concert at the Gewandhaus Hall in Leipzig on October 26, 1899, Huhn sang as an encore “The sea has its pearls”, composed by Robert Franz (1815-1892) with lyrics by Heinrich Heine.

Music critic Eduard Bernsdorf (1825-1901) paid tribute to the singer for the “warmth of sensation” in her performance as well as the “sonority and excellent treatment of her extensive alto (or mezzo-soprano) voice.”

She left Dresden in 1902 and was a member of the Hofoper Munich until 1906.

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