Born in Vienna, Gerhart completed her
music education at the Vienna Conservatory. In 1918 she made her debut at the
Volksoper Wien, in 1919 at the
Wiener Staatsoper (the
denomination of the institution opera throughout history official designation was then Opera theatre). From 1923 to 1939, she was a member of the ensemble of the Staatsoper, during which time she performed a total of 24 roles in 394 performances. At the
Salzburg Festival, the artist sang leading roles from 1926 to 1933, especially the
Queen of the Night, but also
Konstanze and
Fiordiligi in
Mozart operas as well as Zerbinetta in
Ariadne auf Naxos by
Hugo von Hofmannsthal and
Richard Strauss. As Konstanze, "after the 'martyrdom aria', [she] gained applause on the open scene", as the
Neue Musikzeitung wrote in a festival report. In 1934, she was awarded the title
Kammersängerin at the Vienna State Opera. From 1 November 1950 to 30 November 1934. September 1955 she taught at the
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, among her students was the soprano
Liselotte Maikl and . In 1970 the singer was appointed honorary member of the Vienna State Opera. Gerhart shone in the classical
coloratura parts – Donizetti's
Lucia, Mozart's
Constanze and
Queen of the Night, Verdi's
Gilda, Strauss'
Sophie,
Zerbinetta and
Fiakermilli – but also sang lyrical parts, like
Fiordiligi,
Liu,
Oscar and Adina in ''
L'elisir d'amore''. Gerhart was married to the
accompanist and conductor Rudolf Gschwandtner. == Roles ==