Rosalyn Elizabeth Volkman
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Beloved mother, grandmother, Soprano and Professor of 30 years, Elizabeth Volkman, went to her Heavenly home on February 5, 2022. Beth's love for Jesus was an essential part of her life and she openly mentored and guided many music students and colleagues to faith over her lifetime.
As a young woman she grew up in Wichita, Kansas and went to the University of Colorado to study music performance. She obtained her master's degree at Juilliard School of Music, launching her professional singing career in the opera houses of Europe, and working in Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, Hannover, Vienna, Geneva, Zurich, Amsterdam, Rome, Nice, Bordeaux, Brussels and more. This training led her to The Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she debuted in 1976 under James Levine, eventually becoming the Opera's lead Mezzo-Soprano. She sang alongside such stars as Luciano Pavoratti and Beverly Sills and performed at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her most famous roles were the lead character in Madam Butterfly, Mimi from La Boheme, and the lead in Rusalka. She was critically acclaimed for both her strong explosive voice and her flexibility to sing complicated scores like Wagner in multiple languages. The American Opera "Daisy" was written for her voice, and she performed the lead role at the Opera's debut.
After her career at The Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Volkman served as a private voice instructor and professor of music at Western Kentucky University, becoming an important addition to the Bowling Green music community. During her time in Bowling Green she performed in many U.S. opera houses including Houston, Miami, Detroit, Kansas City, Phoenix, Tucson, Mississippi, Connecticut Grand, Binghamton, and Columbus. In 1997 she sang a 22 concert tour of four European countries.
Ms. Volkman was married to John Warnhoff, who passed away in 2018, and is survived by her only son, Randy Volkman, his wife Lori Volkman, and grandchildren Olivia and Cooper Volkman.
A Celebration of Life for Ms. Volkman will be held Sunday, February 27th at 2pm at First Baptist Church of Bowling Green, 621 East 12th Avenue.
Gilbert Funeral Home & Crematory website is www.gilbertfhonline.com. The Facebook page is Gilbert Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. The obituary phone line is 270-586-8844.