Benita Valente, the distinguished American soprano, was born in Delano, CA in 1934, received a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1955, and won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1960. She made her debut at the Met in 1973 in the role of Pamina (The Magic Flute), which was especially well-received. In addition to her myriad opera roles, Ms. Valente has been an internationally celebrated interpreter of German art songs, as well as chamber music and oratorio. Her wide musical range encompassed styles from the Baroque to the contemporary. She has performed with all the major orchestras around the world, and the distinguished soloists with whom she has sung is too long to list. She received a Grammy nomination for her recording of Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ and a Grammy Award for Arnold Schoenberg’s Quartet No. 2. Ms. Valente retired from the stage in 2000.