Helen Traubel

Helen Traubel (1899-1972), was an American operatic soprano, best known for her Wagnerian roles, especially that of Brünnhilde. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she made her debut with the St. Louis Symphony in 1923. Later she joined with the Metropolitan Opera. When she joined the Met, however, the group already had a first-class Wagnerian soprano: Kirsten Flagstad. Traubel served as her understudy, and when Flagstad left the US to visit her homeland of Sweden, Traubel easily took her position, first making her mark in Tannhauser and Tristan und Isolde. Renowned for her strong voice, which was described often as a "gleaming sword", her endurance and purity of tone was unsurpassed, especially as Brünnhilde. Traubel was forced from the Metropolitan in the early 1950s, upon learning that she also performed in nightclubs. Traubel went on to appear at the Copacabana, as well as in many cameo television roles. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Helen Traubel passed away in Santa Monica, California, in 1972.