The estate of Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, the German soprano who died in 2006, will go under the hammer in Austria next month, with the proceeds to go to charity, the Vienna-based auction house Dorotheum said Thursday.

Schwarzkopf, who was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1992, was one of the most distinguished and influential singers of the 20th century, most famous for her interpretations of the works of Mozart and Strauss.

She died at her home in Vorarlberg, Austria, at the age of 90 on August 3, 2006.

In her will, she left everything to two charities, the SOS Children’s Villages and the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute.

The Dorotheum said in a statement that her estate — personal items, jewellery, furniture, manuscripts, pictures and stage costumes — would be put up for auction on March 13.

Dorotheum said it would forgo its normal fees for the auction.

More info www.dorotheum.com/en/auctions.html

Posted: 02|22|08 at 10:07 am. Filed under: Auction News.