DeBellis

Frances Yeend

People who visited Frances Yeend in her Morgantown, W.Va., home said that even in her 90s, the beloved soprano could sing lines from her famous arias respectably well. She liked to do that for her friends and admirers.

Ms. Yeend (the name rhymes with "end") led the West Virginia University voice faculty from 1966 through 1978, and resided in Morgantown with her husband, pianist-coach James Benner. She died there on April 27 at the age of 95.

The singer was born in Vancouver, Wash., and did her musical studies at what is now Washington State University. She made her first major appearance as soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky, in 1946. The following year she was engaged by the Tanglewood Music Festival for the leading soprano role of Ellen Orford in the American premiere of Britten's "Peter Grimes."

Mildred Miller Posvar, then a younger artist making her operatic debut in the same "Peter Grimes" production, remembered Ms. Yeend as "a diva from the very beginning, but not in any way offensive about it. She was very outgoing and warm, in every way."

Ms. Posvar described Ms. Yeend's voice as "like steel from bottom to top, but very beautiful."

In an era when American singers were not readily accepted at the Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Yeend found a home for more than 12 years at the New York City Opera, where she made her debut in March 1948 as Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata," a part that became her signature role. She finally made her Met debut as Chrysothemis in Strauss' "Elektra" in February 1961, singing two performances of Violetta there in 1962, and as Gutrune in Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" the following year.

The late Barbara Karp, a former artistic director of Pittsburgh Opera, used to tell an affectionate story about Ms. Yeend as Violetta, a role she performed with the Pittsburgh company in 1962.

There is a place in Act 2 of "La Traviata" where the heroine must sit at a small desk and ring for her servant, who enters on that cue. Only this time there was no bell. Not one to panic, the resourceful soprano chirped "ding-a-ling-a-ling" in her most bell-like tones, and the servant entered without missing a beat.

Ms. Yeend was a regular soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, debuting in Brahms' "German Requiem" under Fritz Reiner in April 1947. Between 1950 and 1962 she sang the soprano solos in Handel's "Messiah" 10 times, also appearing during those years with music director William Steinberg in Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" and Ninth Symphony, as well as in Verdi's "Requiem."

With the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra alone, she sang nearly 100 times. Her recordings, many re-released on CD, include excerpts from "Elektra" conducted by Mr. Reiner, and Bruckner's "Te Deum" under Bruno Walter.

After her early marriage to Kenneth Yeend ended in divorce, the singer married Mr. Benner in 1954. While residing in Morgantown, the couple became frequent visitors to the annual Pittsburgh District Metropolitan Opera Auditions. Pittsburgh singers often went to Ms. Yeend or her husband for private vocal coaching.

In addition to her husband of 54 years, Ms. Yeend is survived by a son, Warren Yeend, of Los Altos Hills, Calif.