Nationally renowned mezzo soprano, vocal coach and magazine publisher Carla Jean Williamson Wood passed away Wednesday, July 13, 2005, in Salt Lake City, after a brief battle with a brain tumor. She was 50.
Mrs. Wood was born in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 26, 1955, to Charles and Shirley Williamson. Her parents later divorced.
From an early age, Mrs. Wood knew she wanted to be a singer. "Music has always been a part of her," said her husband David, whom she married in Salt Lake City in 1978. "And she never pictured herself as a diva."
But Mrs. Wood was a principal artist for New York's Metropolitan Opera and a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She was also a featured soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Her recording with the choir of Verdi's "Requiem" was broadcast on radio and television.
Mrs. Wood performed with the Utah Opera as Rosina in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," a role which she also sang with the El Paso and Seattle opera companies. She also sang the role of Flora in Renata Scotto's Emmy Award-winning "Live from Lincoln Center" telecast of Verdi's "La Traviata."
Other roles Mrs. Wood performed include Meg Page in Verdi's "Falstaff" with the San Diego Opera, the Shepherdess in Janacek's "Jenufa," Javotte in Massanet's "Manon," and Lady Comme-ci Comme-ca in Prokofiev's "The Gambler" with the Metropolitan Opera. She, her husband and their two children lived in New York City for 20 years. During her time in Manhattan, Mrs. Wood established the New York Opera Newsletter in 1988. Within 10 years, the newsletter of career information and advice for aspiring singers grew into the nationally distributed Classical Singer magazine, for which Mrs. Wood was editor-in-chief until her death.
In her commitment to help young singers, Mrs. Wood established the Classical Singer Convention last year and the College Expo earlier this year. Three years ago, Mrs. Wood and her family returned to South Jordan, where she established a vocal studio.
Funeral services will be held in the South Jordan Stake Center, 2450 W. 10400 South, on Monday, July 18, at 11 a.m. The viewing will take place Sunday night from 7 to 9 in Larkin Mortuary, 1950 E. 10600 South, Sandy, with the interment at Larkin Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, the Wood family asks that donations be made to the Carla Wood Vocal Scholarship at Brigham Young University. Anyone interested in donating may contact the BYU music department.