Soprano Ruth Ann Swenson has announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and is to undergo surgery and chemotherapy treatment. The surgery has been scheduled for next week, while the chemotherapy, which is to be administered as a precautionary measure, will be administered thereafter at Memorial Sloane Kettering.

Swenson, who most recently finished a run of performances as Marguerite in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Faust, will return to reprise the role for two scheduled performances — including a Saturday matinée broadcast — in March. In April she will sing Cleopatra in the Met's Giulio Cesare with countertenor David Daniels in the title role.

“While my prognosis is excellent, I know that this will be a difficult time, so I welcome the support of family, friends, colleagues and fans, and I look forward to returning to the Met in the spring,” Swenson said in a release issued today by her publicist Georgiana Francisco.

Last spring, Swenson was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and received accolades for her longtime support of the school, where she also gave master classes. Early last summer Swenson sang the role of the Countess Almaviva in the San Francisco Opera's production of Le Nozze di Figaro.

Swenson, a New York native, has garnered national and international acclaim for her performances at national and international opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, L'Opéra National de Paris, Royal Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera and the Bavarian State Opera. She is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. In 1993 she was given the Richard Tucker Award by the Richard Tucker Music Foundation.

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