Remembering Lili: A Tribute

In April 2012 the Shoreline and the opera community lost a beautiful voice.  World-renowned contralto Lili Chookasian of Branford was a singer of remarkable versatility with a rich, dark vocal timbre, who portrayed roles both large and small with consummate artistry.  Lili made her debut at the Met in 1962 and sang 28 roles over 290 performances there during her career. She quickly became one of the leading contraltos performing on the international stage during the 1960s and 1970s, singing under Georg Solti, Leonard Bernstein, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Herbert von Karajan, Lorin Maazel, and many other great conductors, with such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic among others. She was particularly admired worldwide for her performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder and above all, Verdi’s Requiem. 

After retiring from the Met, Lili joined the faculty of the Yale University School of Music. She loved her work and imparted her passion, technique and work ethic to her students. She inspired them with her self-discipline and life’s work. We now honor Lili’s memory and life’s achievement by establishing The Lili Chookasian Fund for Young Singers.

A special Memorial Concert, Remembering Lili Chookasian, will be held on Saturday, June 15 at 7pm in Andrew’s Memorial Auditorium in the Clinton Town Hall.  Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at ctdistrictauditions.org or by calling 203.334.4206.  Friends, colleagues and former students will pay tribute in performance, anecdotes and video.  Proceeds from this concert will continue Lili’s initiative and support of the next generation of singers through the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the Connecticut District. The Lili Chookasian Fund for Young Singers will provide prize money for the Connecticut District Finalists who advance to the next level in the National Council Auditions process.  Lili was a great advocate of this program and always encouraged her students to participate. Many of her students appear on the roster of past winners.

"Through the awards presented through The Lili Chookasian Fund for Young Singers, we honor and celebrate the impact Lili had on the careers of hundreds of singers and continue her mission to prepare young singers well into the future."
Provided by Yale Alumni Association