Ernestine Färber-Strasser was born on May 15, 1884, in Königsberg (present-day Kaliningrad). After engagements in Leipzig and Aachen, she was engaged at the Hofoper in Munich from 1913 until 1921 and gave guest performances in England, Spain, and Switzerland. From 1925 until 1930, the alto was an ensemble member of the Stuttgart Opera. There, in addition to performing in several Wagnerian roles, she sang the parts of Herodias in Strauss’s Salome, Emilia in Verdi’s Othello, and the witch in Dvorak’s Rusalka. Until 1931, she gave numerous guest performances at the Munich State Opera and sang with the Jewish Arts Community in Stuttgart. She lived with her husband, the painter Benno Strasser, and their daughter on Hegelstraße until 1933.
The Nazis’ rise to power changed the family’s life—Ernestine Färber-Strasser was a Jew. After being forced to give up her large apartment in 1934, the singer fled to Switzerland with her 18-year-old daughter in 1937. Her husband joined them a few months later before leaving for London alone in 1939 to provide for the family. In 1940, however, he was interned as a German national and only managed to return to his wife and daughter in April of 1945. In 1951, the family emigrated to New York, where Färber-Strasser’s brother lived.
After her husband’s death in April of 1955, Färber-Strasser no longer had any prospects in the United States. Sick and destitute, she returned to Europe with her daughter in April of 1956 and settled in Switzerland. No details are known about the course of her later life.
1884 Konigsberg