Metropolitan Opera Soprano Dies Of Cancer Kaaren Erickson, 44, Was Born In Seattle

Kaaren Erickson, a soprano who was on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera for the last 12 years and whose repertory ranged from Handel oratorios to Philip Glass’ most recent opera, died on Saturday at her home in Maryville, Tenn. She was 44.

Lawrence Wasserman, her manager, said the cause was cancer.

Erickson was born in Seattle and studied with Marshal Singher at the Santa Barbara Academy of Music, in California. She made her San Francisco Opera debut in a production of Massenet’s “Cendrillon” in 1982. The same year, she won first prize at the Munich International Competition. In 1984, she made her New York City Opera debut as Pamina in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” and the next year she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro.”

At the Met, Erickson also sang Zerlina in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and Alice Ford in Verdi’s “Falstaff,” as well as roles in Wagner’s “Goetterdaemmerung” and “Das Rheingold,” Strauss’ “Elektra,” Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmelites” and John Corigliano’s “Ghosts of Versailles.”

She also performed regularly as a soloist in performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Strauss’ Four Last Songs, the Mozart Requiem and Handel’s “Messiah.” She is survived by her husband, Edward Sooter; a daughter, Esther Sooter; her mother, Annette Herr, of Seattle; and two sisters, Jennifer and Heidi Herr, of Chelan, Wash.