What happened to Maria Ewing? Legendary Opera singer passes away at 71

Maria Ewing, who was known for being an ace soprano and mezzo-soprano, passed away on Sunday, January 9, 2022, at her home in Detroit. The Opera singer was also the wife of director Peter Hall and the mother of actor-director Rebecca Hall. She was 71.

Maria Ewing’s spokesperson Bryna Rifkin confirmed the news to the Associated Press. The spokesperson released shared a statement on the behalf of Maria Ewing’s family. The statement read, “She was an extraordinarily gifted artist who by the sheer force of her talent and will catapult herself to the most rarefied heights of the international opera world.”

Ewing made her Metropolitan Opera debut back in 1976 in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” In 1977, she starred as Blanche de la Force in a new John Dexter production of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites. The singer sang 96 Met performances until her finale in 1997. This also included a six-year interruption due to a spat with Met artistic director James Levine.

Maria Ewing’s family

Ewing was born in Detroit, in a family, that had a Dutch mother and an African American father. Ewing was the youngest among their four daughters. She met director Peter Hall, the founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1978, during a stage performance. They had their daughter Rebecca in 1982 and parted ways in 1990. Peter Hall passed away n 2017 at the age of 87. Apart from her daughter, the singer is also survived by her sisters Norma Koleta, Francis Ewing and Carol Pancratz.

The official Twitter handle of The Royal Opera also paid a heartfelt tribute to Ewing. The Royal Opera mentioned Ewing was associated with them for around seven years. Describing her talent, they revealed Ewing had a unique stage presence. They wrote, “We are saddened to hear of the death of singer Maria Ewing Maria performed the title roles in Tosca and Salome with us between 1988 and 1995 and sang both parts with power, tenderness, charisma and vulnerability Hers was a unique stage presence and she will be much missed.” 

Rebecca Ewing also paid a heartfelt tribute to her mother. Taking to her Instagram handle, she recently shared a video of her mother’s performance and did not write anything. Many of her friends and fans showered her with love and comforted her with some wise words.

Image: Twitter/@TheRoyalOpera