Anne Elgar Kopta started her career as a singer first on Broadway in the musical “The Sound of Music” as one of the nuns starting the show. Then she won a four-year scholarship to the Metropolitan Opera Studio appearing in many leading roles as a lyric soprano in performances in New York City and up and down the Eastern Sea Board. When Julius Rudel, intendant of the New York City Opera, heard her sing, he invited her to join the company where she performed in 27 leading roles including Pamina in “The Magic Flute,” Mimi in “La Boheme,” Violetta in “La Traviata,” and many others.
Later, Living in Paris, France, Croatia and Slovenia, she sang at the Amsterdam 600th-Year Festival and at the Croatian National Theatre and Opera Company in Zagreb. When she moved back to the states with her husband Nick Kopta, she started her teaching career at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, as Artist in Residence and two years later was invited to Carnegie-Mellon University, again as Artist in Residence, eventually becoming tenured Associate Professor of Music in Voice till 1999, when in May of that year she became the new Associate Professor of Music in Voice, again with tenure, at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. She taught voice at ASU up to her retirement in May 2018, then becoming Emerita Professor, at the Emeritus College at ASU.
Following her retirement, she continued teaching privately at her home Gilbert, AZ, doing this weekly on Tuesdays. Anne was beloved by her students and everyone she came in contact with. She was the wonderful wife of Nick, with whom she celebrated their 59th Wedding Anniversary on August 20, 2025.
The time since then was joyful and powerful, in many ways, till the day our Lord took her to His Kingdom and His Glory.
Sincere condolences to Anne’s family and extended community of students, colleagues, and alumni. She and I worked closely together for nine years in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon and served together one summer at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. Sending sympathy and fond memories to Nick, who remains a great friend.
Anne Elgar Kopta made a lasting and dramatic effect on so many, both with her incredible stage and opera career, so young and so accomplished, then as a professor of voice. I wholly imagine and believe that she is singing among the angels and in her glory, such a pure and beautiful sound. I am grateful to Anne for her guidance, leading me to a vocal truth in a lower range and for the strength of courage and journey to an interior strength that studies with Anne required. I am forever grateful to Nick and Anne for sharing meals with me, a struggling student, schlepping from various job to pay the rent. Love and condolences to Nick, a warm presence and incredible person, who cared for Anne’s mother while she maintained a demanding schedule at CMU. Their move to Arizona seemed to be transformative and beautiful for both of them. I think that their love for one another was –and is forever palpable and true.
Anne Elgar Kopta was instrumental to me becoming a young artist of the Metropolitan Opera and then making my subsequent debut in February 1992. I switched to her studio as a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, and even though I was in the wrong range vocally I still managed to succeed.. I don’t blame Anne for that wrong range. Nobody understood my voice, but her technical capacity was built into me and was the beginning of a journey that eventually led me to the Contralto voice. I lost track of Anne once I went to New York and got married and ended up having kids and building my own life and continuing to sing here and there, but she was always supportive and then when I reconnected years later, we had the nice opportunity to chat and catch up. Grateful that she was a prominent voice teacher in my career and I will never forget that.Blessings to Nick. She will always be remembered and cherished.
Celebrating 75 years of serving our community
Sincere condolences to Anne’s family and extended community of students, colleagues, and alumni. She and I worked closely together for nine years in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon and served together one summer at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. Sending sympathy and fond memories to Nick, who remains a great friend.
Anne Elgar Kopta made a lasting and dramatic effect on so many, both with her incredible stage and opera career, so young and so accomplished, then as a professor of voice. I wholly imagine and believe that she is singing among the angels and in her glory, such a pure and beautiful sound. I am grateful to Anne for her guidance, leading me to a vocal truth in a lower range and for the strength of courage and journey to an interior strength that studies with Anne required. I am forever grateful to Nick and Anne for sharing meals with me, a struggling student, schlepping from various job to pay the rent. Love and condolences to Nick, a warm presence and incredible person, who cared for Anne’s mother while she maintained a demanding schedule at CMU. Their move to Arizona seemed to be transformative and beautiful for both of them. I think that their love for one another was –and is forever palpable and true.
Anne Elgar Kopta was instrumental to me becoming a young artist of the Metropolitan Opera and then making my subsequent debut in February 1992. I switched to her studio as a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, and even though I was in the wrong range vocally I still managed to succeed.. I don’t blame Anne for that wrong range. Nobody understood my voice, but her technical capacity was built into me and was the beginning of a journey that eventually led me to the Contralto voice. I lost track of Anne once I went to New York and got married and ended up having kids and building my own life and continuing to sing here and there, but she was always supportive and then when I reconnected years later, we had the nice opportunity to chat and catch up. Grateful that she was a prominent voice teacher in my career and I will never forget that.Blessings to Nick. She will always be remembered and cherished.