Judith Blegen
The Chicago Symphony family joins the music world in mourning the loss of American soprano Judith Blegen, who died on October 23, 2026. She was 85.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on April 27, 1941, and raised in Missoula, Montana, Blegen attended the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Martial Singher. She apprenticed at the Santa Fe Opera and performed at Gian Carlo Menotti’s Festival of the Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, and she was a resident artist with the Staatstheater Nürnberg and Vienna State Opera. Blegen debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1970 as Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and was a regular with the company until her retirement in 1991.
In addition to her appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Blegen also performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago in leading roles in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Before she made her debut in concert with the CSO, Blegen was soloist in a recording of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the ensemble, made at Medinah Temple on July 22 and 23, 1974, under the baton of James Levine. For RCA, Thomas Z. Shepard was the producer and Paul Goodman the recording engineer. (The work had been performed at the Ravinia Festival the week prior with Susan Belling as soloist.)
A complete list of her concert appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is below.
August 7, 1977, Ravinia Festival
J. STRAUSS, Jr. Mein Herr Marquis and Spiel’ ich die Unschuld vom lande from Die Fledermaus
J. STRAUSS, Jr. Frühlingsstimmen
Judith Blegen, soprano
Franz Allers, conductor
July 6, 1979, Ravinia Festival
MAHLER Symphony No. 8 in E-flat Major
Carol Neblett, soprano
Judith Blegen, soprano
Jann Jaffe, soprano
Isola Jones, mezzo-soprano
Brigit Finnilae, contralto
Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Ryan Edwards, baritone
John Cheek, bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
Doreen Rao, director
James Levine, conductor
The first movement (Veni, creator spiritus) was released on the 1990 Radiothon CD set Chicago Symphony Orchestra: The First 100 Years
July 12, 1981, Ravinia Festival
HAYDN The Seasons
Judith Blegen, soprano
Philip Creech, tenor
Donald Gramm, bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
James Levine, conductor
June 29, 1984, Ravinia Festival
Johanna Meier, soprano
Judith Blegen, soprano
Marvis Martin, soprano
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Isola Jones, mezzo-soprano
Giuliano Ciannella, tenor
Ryan Edwards, baritone
John Cheek, bass-baritone
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
Wisconsin Conservatory Chorus
Margaret Hawkins, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
Doreen Rao, director
James Levine, conductor
July 1, 1984, Ravinia Festival
MENDELSSOHN Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Judith Blegen, soprano
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis, director
James Levine, conductor
Recorded in Orchestra Hall on July 2 and 3, 1984. For Deutsche Grammophon, the producer was Steven Paul, coordination by Claudia Hamann, recording supervision by Cord Garben and the recording engineer was Klaus Scheibe.
Numerous tributes have appeared online, including the Metropolitan Opera and OperaWire, among several others.
This article also appears here.
