Caroline Helen Pattee

Carole Pattee began her voice training in Hollywood, California, where she studied with a Russian teacher for five years. She continued her studies in Rome, Italy, Munich, and Stuttgart, Germany, where she made her operatic debut in 1958 as the young page Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Critically acclaimed as “a delightful Chrubin was Carole Pattee who, with Mozart genius truly blessed arias, sang outstandingly”. She went on to sing the role of Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, the part of Lola with Marilyn Horne in Cavalleria Rusticana in Stuttgart, and worked with opera coaches at the Stuttgart Opera. In Munich, she studied with the prestigious German Lieder singer, the late Garhard Husch. She recorded programs for the Armed Forces Radio Network in Stuttgart and sang with several symphony orchestras.

Since coming to El Paso in 1961, Carole has sung the mezzo solo parts in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Verdi’s Requiem Mass, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, the role of Princess Amneris in Verdi’s Aida and performed in many dinner theaters. She toured with the Chihuahua State Symphony Orchestra singing the mezzo solo part in Handel’s Messiah in Spanish. She sang the mezzo part in Manual DeFalla’s El Amor Brujo at Ft. Bliss and has performed leading roles in many musical productions at the Ft. Bliss Moulin Rouge Dinner Theater, including Anna in The King and I, the mother in Menotti’s Amhaland the Night Visitors for five successive years, Bloody Mary in South Pacific, Mamita in Gigi, Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music for which she won the best supporting actress award in 1978, and musical revues such as Some Enchanted Evening. She has given many benefit concerts for the Association for Retarded Citizens, one of which was at the Chamizal Theater. She had sung at the MacDowell Women’s Club and the Tri-State Opera Guild, of which she was Program Chairman. She was on the voice faculty of the Institute of the Arts in El Paso for two years.

Carole Pattee attended UTEP’s Continuing Education classes in the late eighties whilst also being an active docent at the El Paso Museum of Art for over six years. She enjoyed painting, reading and singing German Lieder and Italian art songs. She is the mother of two: Jeannie and David, who was born with Down Syndrome, grandmother of two, Ariel and Michael Moffeit Jr., as well as great-grandmother to Jordan Moffeit. She is also survived by her son-in-law, Michael Moffeit Sr., grand-daughter in-law Claudia Moffeit, and grandson-in-law Dylan Bordelon. In addition, her half-brother John Siebold and his wife Lyn.