Bazell, Marciem, 1951-2014
Biography
Born in 1951, Marciem Bazell was the director of Opera at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and Dance. Bazell came to UMKC in 2007 from Southern Methodist University, where she was the director of Opera from 2002-07. Prior to that, she directed for the Sarasota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Illinois, El Paso Opera, Sylvan Opera of Philadelphia, Opera Delaware and the Fresno Philharmonic. She also directed opera productions and served on the faculty of two renowned music schools in Philadelphia: the Curtis Institute of Music (1986–99) and the Academy of Vocal Arts (1988–99). Bazell’s directorial credits include productions of Susannah, Faust, Tosca, Lucia, Romeo et Juliette, L’Elisir d’Amore, I Pagliacci, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, La Traviata, La Bohème, Rigoletto, Hänsel und Gretel, Cosi fan Tutte, Arianna a Naxos, Don Giovanni, and South Pacific. Bazell also trained the young artists of the Sarasota (Fla.), Chautauqua (N.Y.), Virginia and Des Moines opera companies. Bazell passed away in early 2014 after a long battle with cancer.
Source: Bazell death notice, UMKC Today (newsletter) website.
