Evening star., 1954-05-10
Opera Group
To Present
Twin Bill
By Mary |. Voushon

If a current project to eS-
tablish q permanent opera COM
pany in Washington is success
full, a vivacious 26-year-old So
prano will be well qualified to
take slice of the credit.
She is Eva Bober, who will sing
the soprano lead in the Capital
Opera Co.'S initial production
here tomorrow. Wednesday and
Thursday nights of Menotti's
double opera bill, THE Tele-
phone" and The Medium" in
the Roosevelt High auditorium
Miss Bober's determination to
carve out her own operatic ca
reer has led her thus far into
grand opera roles with the Hill
top Opera Co.. the Peabody
Opera Co., and the Baltimore
Opera Co.. all in her present
home town of Baltimore.
This summer it will lead her
back to her native Germany.
from which she fled as a Hitler
refugee. as leading coloratura
soprano at the Karlsruhe Opera
House.
Unable to receive formal musi-
cal training until after the war,
Miss Bober presently combines
her singing career with house.
keeping for her elementary
school instructor husband. and
full time job as a buyer for a
leading Baltimore department
store.
In a way, Eva is fulfilling an
operate career her mother was
forced to give up upon Hitler'S
rise to power.
Determined to be an opera
singer Eva made her first public
appearances singing solos at the
age of seven or eight in school.
Mother always discouraged
me-" she recalls, "she said was
too lazy"
Miss Bober's father, Max Hey
mann, died in a concentration
camp during the war. She was
reunited with her mother who
lived with her in Baltimore until
her death three years ago.
She was always my severest
critic" Miss Bober said.
Her husband thinks "one mu-
sician in the family is enough"
But he encourages Eva in her
practice before work mornings,
and for hours at night. He will
accompany his wife to Germany
this summer to take a position
as civilian instructor teaching
children of Army personnel sta
toned there.
Miss Bober, who keeps house,
cooks and used to design her own
clothes expects some day to have
children and still keep on with
her career.
She first began her formal
training studying with Madame
A. G. Buschak at the Peabody
Conservatory for four years and
later opera for seven years with
DR.. E. Lert also of the conserv-
atory. She sings in German,
French. Italian and English.
She has sung guest perfor-
mances with the Agricultural
Symphony Orchestra and has
performed leading roles in such
operas as THE Marriage of Fig
aro," Don Giovanni" Magic
Flute" and Don Pasquale."
Her last appearance was in
the role of Gilda opposite Robert
Weeds in the Baltimore Civic
Opera Co.'S production of Rigo-
letto, under the direction of Rosa
PonSelle.
Miss Bober has high praise for
opera in Germany where it is
performed IL months of the
year.
Looking forward to serious
study there, her sights are
eventually trained on the Metro
politan Opera in New York
which she thinks is "the top
theater in the world"
Miss Bober is a winner of the
American Artist Series in the
Brooklyn Academy of Music,
New York and last year was a
f1nalist in the Metropolitan Au-
ditions of the Air.
If she continues to measure up
to critics praise for her past op-
cratic performances. she may
we'll find herself one day behind
the footlights at the Metropoli-
tan.
Meanwhile she'll concentrate
on her program of plenty of
hard work-plenty of patience"