Goltz Christel, married name Schenk, *8 July 1912 Dortmund, †14 November 2008 Baden, German soprano singer. She trained in Munich. Initially, she performed as a dancer and choir singer. In 1935, she sang at the opera in Fürth, and subsequently in Plauen. In 1936/37 she was engaged by K. Böhm at the Staatsoper in Dresden, where she sang until 1950. From 1947 she was associated with the Städtische Oper and Staatsoper in Berlin, and from 1951 with the Staatsoper in Vienna. In 1952 she was awarded the title of Kammersängerin. She performed on leading European stages, including La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in London, and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York (1954 – her American debut in the title role of R. Strauss’s Salome). In 1954, at the Salzburg International Music Festival, she created the title role in the world premiere of R. Liebermann’s Penelope. Among Goltz’s most outstanding achievements are her performances of soprano roles in Mozart’s operas, as well as the roles of Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Lisa in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Marie in Berg’s Wozzeck, and the title roles in R. Strauss’s Salome and Elektra. She recorded numerous albums, mainly for DGG and Decca/Electrola, including the role of Salome.
