Helen Olheim (1904 – June 26, 1992^[1]) was an American mezzo-soprano singer. She was born in Buffalo, New York,^[1] in 1904 as Helen Oelheim. She graduated from the Eastman School of Music^[1] where Adelin Fermin was her teacher.^[2] She sang with the American Opera Company where she met her future husband, Frederick Michel, whom she'd marry in September 1927,^[3] was a guest on many radio programs including The Cathedral Hour on WABC,^[2] and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera from 1935 until 1944.^[1] Among the roles she played at the Met were Mercédès from Bizet's Carmen, Siebel from Gounod's Faust.^[1] (her debut role at the Met ^[3][2]), Maddalena from Verdi's Rigoletto, and Suzuki from Puccini's Madama Butterfly^[3]

After Olheim (which was her stage name) left the Metropolitan Opera, she taught at Mount Holyoke College from 1954 until 1966,^[3] and then she moved to Sarasota, Florida.^[1] Olheim died June 26, 1992, from natural causes at the Beneva Nursing Pavilion in Sarasota at the age of 87.^[1]