Maria Stader

Maria Stader (November 5, 1911 – April 27, 1999) was a Hungarian born Swiss lyric soprano, known particularly for her Mozart interpretations.

Stader was born in Budapest, Hungary, on November 5, 1911, as Maria Molnar. During and after World War I, the price of food in Budapest was so high that it was difficult for her parents to support their five children. Maria and her younger sister, Elisabeth, were taken to Switzerland by the Salvation Army to recuperate for three months after being diagnosed with malnutrition. There, Maria's foster parents requested she stay for a full nine months. However, once in Budapest again, Maria fell seriously ill and it was also determined she would need her tonsils operated on. Her foster parents arranged for her to return to Switzerland. Because of difficulties with the aliens office police, Maria could not remain in the canton of Zurich, so her foster father found her a place with the Stader family in Romanshorn. They later adopted her.

In 1939, Stader married Hans Erismann, the music director of Weinfelden and later the choir director of the Zurich Opera House. Through the husband of her vocal teacher, Mathilde Bärlocher, she got acquainted with the Schulthess-Geyer couple. Stefi Geyer took special care of her after that. Her vocal teacher, Ilona Durigo, introduced her to Hermann and Lily Reiff (a student of Franz Liszt). The Reiffs' home was the frequent meeting place of Busch, Walter and Mann, the entire corona of the Opera House and Zurich Theater. Fritz Busch arranged for Maria Stader to go to the Schnabel School in Tremezzo a couple of years later. Maria Stader was a close friend of the Swiss politician, Walther Bringolf, as well as numerous musicians, especially Ferenc Fricsay (with whom she became acquainted through Rolf Liebermann) and Clara Haskil. She was also a friend of the French film director, Emil-Edwin Reinert and she corresponded with Albert Schweitzer.