Cathy Berberian (July 4, 1928 in Attleboro, MA - March 6, 1983 in Rome, Italy) was a composer, mezzo-soprano singer, and vocalist.

From 1950 to 1966 she was married to composer to Luciano Berio, who deconstructed her voice in Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) (1958) and wrote his Circles (1960) and Recital I (for Cathy) (1972) for her. In addition Sylvano Bussotti, John Cage, Hans Werner Henze and Igor Stravinsky wrote works for her voice.

She interpreted contemporary avant-garde music, Armenian folk songs, Monteverdi, The Beatles, and her own compositions. Her best known work is her Stripsody, in which she exploits her vocal technique using comic book sounds.

External links

• MVDaily.com: A musical enchantress On the anniversary of Cathy Berberian's death, JENNIFER PAULL remembers the legendary singer who cast musical spells
• Meirion-Bowen.com: Contemporary Cathy
• Frank's Vinyl Museum: Cathy Berberian: Revolution Beatles songs go baroque! An operatic first!