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.
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