Rebecca Carr

October 12, 1961 - May 11, 2025

Rebecca Cara Carr, opera singer and jewelry designer from Auburn, NY, died on May 11, 2025 at age 63 from pancreatic cancer. Rebecca was the beloved daughter of Elsie Carr, (née Chociay) and Frederick Stewart Carr, Jr..

A vibrant soprano, Rebecca was highly regarded for her beautiful voice and exceptional musicianship, her intellect, and her fearless stage presence. She enjoyed a robust regional operatic and concert career, and toured throughout Europe with Teatro Lirico di Europa. One of the roles closest to Rebecca’s heart was the Mother in Amahl & The Night Visitors which she sang in over half the United States. She also relished concert performances with one of her dearest friends, organist, Alan Morrison.

Rebecca attended Auburn High School, received a Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, and continued with her Masters at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She completed her training at Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, singing leading roles such as Violetta, Desdemona, Fiordiligi, Musetta, Alice Ford, and Lady Billows. In time, she went on to coordinate the opera outreach program at AVA, a position she held until her death.

Combining her love of opera, of nature, and her deep appreciation for all things beautiful, Rebecca launched a line of handmade artisan jewelry, Belle Pietre Jewelry. She had a desire for perfection and a meticulous eye. With a design sense that she inherited from her father (as she always said), she soon began to create one of a kind pieces that were highly sought after, and which at the same time she generously shared.

Rebecca is remembered as a person full of beauty, light, wit, and generosity. She is survived by a remarkably wide circle of loving friends hailing from all the varied areas of her rich life. All these friends surrounded her in her illness. Rebecca will be deeply missed by her high school and college friends, by the Auburn, Syracuse, Ithaca arts communities and friends, by the Philadelphia musical and friend community, and by her beloved cats, Kismet, Mishka, and Katushka.

A memorial celebration of Rebecca’s life will take place in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

Gifts in Rebecca Carr’s honor may be made to The Seymour Library, 176 Genesee St., Auburn, NY 13021.

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