Johanna Geisler | |
|---|---|
 Photo postcard of Geisler at the Cologne opera, 1920s | |
| Born | Johanne Elisabeth Meyer 28 May 1888 |
| Died | 3 November 1956 (aged 68) Munich, Bavaria, West Germany |
| Occupation | Operatic soprano |
| Organizations | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Werner Klemperer |
Johanna Geisler, or Geissler (born Johanne Elisabeth Meyer; 28 May 1888 – 3 November 1956), was a German operatic soprano and stage actress. She also appeared as Johanna Klemperer and under stage names Johanna Klee and Hanne Klee. She began her career as a member of the opera chorus of the Hofoper Hannover in 1903, and had a solo engagement at the Mainz Municipal Theatre from 1912. She moved on to the Cologne Opera where she met her future husband, the conductor Otto Klemperer. With him, she performed lead roles including Marietta in the world premiere of Korngold's Die tote Stadt in 1920. She followed him to the Kroll Oper in Berlin in 1927. When he had to leave Germany in 1933, she and the children followed, to Zürich, to Los Angeles from 1935 to 1947, then Budapest, and finally Zürich again.