Charlotte “Lotte” Lehmann was one of the great dramatic sopranos of the twentieth century, celebrated for her interpretations of Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Born in Perleberg, Germany, in 1888, she rose from modest beginnings to become a star of the Vienna Court Opera (later the Vienna State Opera), where she sang from 1916 to 1938. Among her most acclaimed roles were the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, and Leonore in Fidelio—performances that established her international reputation.

Lehmann made her American debut in Chicago in 1930 and joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1934. After the rise of Nazism and the annexation of Austria, she emigrated to the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1945. She continued singing at the Met until 1945 and remained active on the recital stage until her retirement in 1951. In addition to opera, she was one of the era’s most distinguished interpreters of German lieder and left behind nearly 500 recordings.

Lehmann’s stature as a Metropolitan Opera soprano brought her to Englewood in the fall of 1939 as the featured artist opening the season of the Northern Valley Civic Music Association.

On October 31 and November 1, 1939, The Record announced that more than 1,000 members were expected to fill every available seat at St. Cecilia High School Auditorium for her appearance. The concert marked the first presentation of the Association’s 1939–40 season, underscoring both Lehmann’s drawing power and Englewood’s vibrant interwar music culture.

The printed program reflected her breadth:

• Handel’s “Lascia ch’io pianga”

• Wagner selections including Elsa’s Dream from Lohengrin

• Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and Strauss lieder

• Puccini arias such as “Vissi d’arte” from Tosca

• Old English songs

Her longtime accompanist, Paul Ulanowsky, was featured as well. Souvenir programs included images of the celebrated piano duo Josef and Rosina Lhévinne and program notes introducing the composers—evidence of the Civic Music model’s emphasis on musical education as well as performance.

The Englewood engagement placed Lehmann within a broader local tradition of high-caliber cultural programming. The Northern Valley Civic Music Association, founded decades earlier as part of the national Civic Music movement, operated on a membership model that eliminated single-ticket sales and ensured financial stability while bringing world-class artists to suburban audiences. Lehmann’s visit in 1939 exemplified how Englewood residents could hear a reigning Metropolitan Opera star without traveling into Manhattan.

Lehmann also played a pivotal role in launching the career of the Trapp Family Singers. In 1936, while in Salzburg, she overheard the von Trapp children singing and immediately recognized their talent. According to family accounts, she urged them to enter the Salzburg Festival’s amateur competition, praising them as having “gold in their throats.” Her endorsement helped persuade Captain Georg von Trapp—initially reluctant because of the family’s aristocratic background—to allow them to perform publicly. That performance marked the beginning of the group later immortalized in The Sound of Music.

After retiring from performance, Lehmann settled permanently in Santa Barbara, California, where she taught master classes at the Music Academy of the West (which she helped found), wrote extensively about singing and interpretation, and pursued painting. She remained intellectually and artistically active well into her seventies. A 1963 feature noted that, though her singing voice was stilled, she did not “live in the past,” but instead painted, wrote, and mentored young artists.

Lehmann died in 1976 at age 88. Her career spanned the great European opera houses, the Metropolitan Opera, and recital stages around the world—yet her 1939 Englewood appearance reminds us that even the most luminous international stars were woven into the cultural life of Bergen County.