Longtime Vienna opera singer Sena Jurinac dies in Germany at age 90

BERLIN – Opera singer Sena Jurinac, an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera, has died in southern Germany at age 90.

The Vienna State Opera confirmed the death Wednesday, saying it is mourning the loss of a “legendary artist who shaped not only the Vienna State Opera but also the entire opera world.” Austrian news agency APA reported that Jurinac died Tuesday at her home near Augsburg.

Born in Travnik in Bosnia in October 1921, Jurinac made her debut at the Vienna opera as Cherubino in “The Marriage of Figaro” in 1945 – the first production after World War II.

She went on to become one of the most celebrated singers there in the 1940s and 50s, performing in operas including “Don Giovanni,” ”Der Rosenkavalier” and “La Boheme.”