Risë Stevens was an American operatic mezzo-soprano. Beginning in 1938, she sang for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for more than two decades during the 1940s and 1950s. She was most noted for her portrayals of the central character in Carmen by Georges Bizet. Born Risë Gus Steenberg, was of Norwegian descent. She studied at New York's Juilliard School for three years, and with Anna Eugenie Schoen-René. She... see more