Obituary: Opera Critic Erna Metdepenninghen Dies at 82

(Photo credit: Kanvas)Music and opera journalist Erna Metdepenninghen unexpectedly passed away on March 6 in her hometown of Ghent. She was 82-years-old.Mettedepenninghen was born on Sept.

18, 1942. The opera specialist published many articles in books and magazines such as the Flanders Art Magazine, Muziek en Woord, Knack, Opernwelt, Crescendo Magazine, English Opera, and Spanish Scherzo. She served as a correspondent for the British OPERA and the International Music Guide.



The daily newspaper De Standaard, where she worked as a music critic, dubbed her “the walking music encyclopedia.”She was co-founder of Jeug-Opera, a foundation that, in collaboration with the Flanders Festival, aimed to make opera attractive and accessible to young people. She regularly served on juries of many opera competitions in Belgium and beyond.

She was regularly seen and heard in arts programs on radio and TV. Mettedepenninghen served as president and later honorary president of the Association of the Belgian music press and vice-president of the International Music Press.Opera reviews include “The Prima Donnas of the Vienna Opera,” “Salzburg Festival, Monteverdi and Bizet, with and without staging,” “At the Salzburg Whitsun Festival: Cecilia Bartoli pays homage to Rome,” and many more.

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