Dina Soresi Winter passed away Saturday, September 18, 2021 at her home in Grosse Pointe Shores at the age of 91. Her death was due to natural causes. Her mood as she passed away was one of peace, tranquility, and quiet contentment. She is survived by her husband, Eric, whom she married in 1970.
Dina was passionate about whatever she turned her hand to!
In her early teens she saw her first opera, La Traviata. She saw it looking out over the rail on a balcony way above the stage at the old New York Metropolitan Opera. She was mesmerized by the splendor of the scene, the costumes, the sets, the orchestra, and, most of all, the singers. She told her mom, ”I want to become an opera singer!” And become an opera singer she did, winning a big prize that enabled her to be coached in Europe, and going on to sing leading operatic roles there.
Her operatic claim to fame is to have sung the lead role in the first significant twentieth century production of Donizetti’s then almost forgotten opera, Mary Stuart, in 1958. Her success brought this opera to the attention of major opera producers, with the result that Mary Stuart is now a staple of opera theatres across the globe.
Dina’s next passion was Waldorf education, and she was a key member of the team that got the still-thriving Detroit Waldorf School off the ground in 1966. She tried always to be the person answering the phone, and, if there was even a glimmer of interest, Dina was off articulating the values of Waldorf education. “At what other school,” she would ask, “do the children weep when they are too sick to attend?”
Her primary interest later returned to music, and she became the Director of Opera Programs for the award-winning Detroit Concert Choir, where some of their most successful concerts were their opera programs.
Her final passion was Tuesday Musicale of Detroit, where she was asked to join the board and went on to become President. Tuesday Musicale puts on monthly programs and annually features an Artist of the Year and a Young Artist of the Year. With her unquestioned musical credentials, the organization’s substantial financial resources and a storied history going back to 1885, Dina was able to gather round her a board and musicians who together raised the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit to a new level. She also selected and inspired the leadership of Tuesday Musicale’s Student League, where highly talented teenagers meet once a month to perform for one another and receive advice on how to develop their art from some of the finest musicians in the area. Dina served one three-year term and one four-year term as President before resigning from this position in June.
Dina has now left us, and while she will be sadly missed by her husband and her many friends and admirers, she will be celebrated and revered for her many contributions to the life of Southeast Michigan.
A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, September 23, 2021, 3:00 p.m., at the Christian Community Church in Ferndale. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit, put in memo: Dina Soresi Winter Voice Fund.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea, Michigan.
