Above: Makiko Narumi with director Eve Shapiro
April 30th, 2022 – Twenty years ago on this date, my friend the Japanese contralto Makiko Narumi passed away at the age of 33. I first met Makiko soon after I moved to New York City in 1998; I had heard her singing Schumann’s Frauenliebe und -leben at a Juilliard liederabend and was simply blown away by the sound of her voice, and a few days later she came into the opera room at Tower Records where I was working; she was stunned when I addressed her by name.
We struck up a friendship and over the next 3 years I heard her many times at Juilliard (both in opera and lieder), in the semi-final and final rounds of the Met Auditions, at a Licia Albanese Foundation gala, at private concerts, singing the Rückert Lieder with the Juilliard Orchestra, and – in 2000 – at Tanglewood as Dame Quickly in FALSTAFF, conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Her last public appearance was singing the Mahler 2nd at Carnegie Hall just a few weeks before she passed away…a very emotional evening for both of us.
I have some recordings of Makiko’s voice, but it’s always difficult for me to listen to them. Here she is singing at a house party at Aspen in 2000…
Makiko Narumi – SAMSON ET DALILA ~ aria – Aspen 2000 – private recording
…singing Brahms…
Makiko Narumi – Von ewiger Liebe ~ Brahms
…and singing Mahler at a Juilliard recital…
Makiko Narumi – Mahler ~ Rückert Lieder – HoJeong Jeong piano
…more Mahler: the Urlicht…
Mahler – Urlicht – Makiko Narumi – M Baitzer – 1999(1)
One of the happiest days of our friendship: the Tanglewood FALSTAFF:
Here we are on the lawn at Tanglewood after the performance in the Summer of 2000…
…I even asked for her autograph!
Above: Makiko costumed as Dame Quickly…
…and here’s the entire cast of the Tanglewood FALSTAFF with Maestro Ozawa.
I love to think of her now, bolstering the contralto section in the heavenly choir.
Makiko’s memorial:
A message from Makiko’s parents:
Oberon's Glade 