Soprano Janet Pavek Dies At Age 72

Soprano Janet Pavek, age 72, died January 6, 2009 in New Port Richey, Florida. The cause of death was complications resulting from liver failure.
Pavek was born in Bronxville, New York. She started studying voice at the age of eleven, and after being named "Miss Eastchester" in 1953, at the age of sixteen she was cast in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway production of "Me and Juliet."

When the musical "Fanny" was nearing the end of its Broadway run, Miss Pavek took over the title role and at nineteen played the lead during its long run in London opposite Robert Morley.

In 1961, the year she married journeyman musical theatre performer Joe Cusanelli, Pavek made her operatic debut with the New York City Center Opera Company.
In 1962, Broadway beckoned again, and Pavek took over the role of Queen Guenevere from Julie Andrews in the Lerner and Loewe musical production "Camelot."
In the spring of 1963, Pavek was signed to a contract by the Metropolitan Opera Company and made her debut that same year in Puccini's "La Boheme," where she won critical acclaim for her portrayal of Musetta.

Pavek sung leading roles with the Pittsburgh Opera Company, the Fort Worth Opera Company, and the Cincinnati and San Francisco Opera Companies. Her extensive repertoire included the title role in Manon Lescaut, Liu in Turandot, Nedda in Pagliacci, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, and many other lead soprano roles. The San Francisco Chronicle called her "exceptionally vivacious and brilliant sounding," and the New York Post called her "an interesting, vital personality who bears watching."
Pavek's television appearances included The Bell Telephone Hour, The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and the BBC. Miss Pavek can be heard on the RCA cast recording of Showboat and the cast album of Christine on Columbia Records.

In her youth, Pavek was a recipient of the Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation Award for musical achievement and the Sullivan Foundation Award for gifted singers. She appeared in concert and recital performances throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, and South America. In her later years, she taught voice to private students.

She is survived by her son, Joseph Cusanelli, Jr., a New York Police Department Detective and board officer with his union, the Detectives' Endowment Association, her daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Her burial is planned for Kensico Cemetary in Valhalla, New York.