Broadway And Opera Performer Elaine Bunse Has Passed Away

Broadway's Elaine Bunse-Bullens passed away on Monday, August 8th, 2022 at Heritage Lakeside Rehab facility in Rice Lake, WI.

Elaine Bunse made her Broadway debut in the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at the Mark Hellinger Theatre, written by Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner. The show had pre-Broadway tryouts in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. She appeared in numerous musicals around the US, including a summer tour of Man Of La Mancha starring Ed Ames as Maria, the Innkeeper's Wife, in Show Boat as Mother Superior at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre and in many productions of The Sound Of Music as Mother Abbess. Elaine also appeared as Maria in the Papermill Playhouse production of Man Of La Mancha and in musicals at NY's Artpark and Wolf Trap in Washington, DC.

Elaine Bunse's extensive opera career included performing leading roles with opera companies throughout the US. She also appeared at Carnegie Hall and a guest artist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Her vocal studies included training with Metropolitan Opera star Marjorie Lawrence, Kaye Shanahan and Richard Torigi. In 1986, she won the first place Wagner Award from the Liederkranz Foundation.

Elaine Bunse performed as a guest vocalist with the Dance Celebration company in numerous seasons in NYC and Europe. With the company's leading dancer Lawrence Leritz and the New York City Opera's pianist Bruce Norris, Elaine appeared at the International Dance Competitions in Paris, representing the US. Dance Celebration received a citation for performance excellence from the jury and special congratulations from the White House. Elaine sang the company's popular signature piece "Worth A Song," in Paris, which she continued to perform in concert throughout her career. Elaine is survived by her husband Robert, her sister Diane and three children, Julie, Christopher, and Jennifer.

Photographer: Kenn Duncan