Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade has been named the fifth recipient of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum's "Woman of Distinction Award."

Internationally renowned as one of the most refined and sophisticated singers of her generation, von Stade will accept the award Aug. 7 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center and has signaled that she will sing on that occasion. As she eases into retirement, von Stade sang farewell recitals in New York and Chicago last spring and ended her four-decade operatic career less than a month ago in the Houston Grand Opera's revival of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking.

The announcement was made Monday evening at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum by Deborah Holloway, chairman of the O'Keeffe Art and Leadership Program for Girls, which will be the financial beneficiary of von Stade's appearance this summer. Holloway noted that the award celebrates the museum's namesake by honoring women who have exhibited strength of character while attaining extraordinary achievement in fields often dominated by men.

The award was instituted in 2007, when the first recipient was author Gail Sheehy. The ensuing honorees have been Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, journalist and social activist Gloria Steinem and photographer Annie Leibovitz.

The 65-year-old von Stade, who is widely known by her nickname "Flicka," made her Santa Fe Opera debut in 1971, in the role of Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro (the production also included the company debut of the soprano Kiri Te Kanawa), and sang seven roles in the course of five seasons here. One of the opera world's most applauded interpreters of Mozart, French lyric repertoire, modern American operas, and "trouser roles," she has served as a mentor to many of today's younger singers, including mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who will interview her onstage at the Lensic event. She has recently become active in educational programs for young people in California's Bay Area, where she resides.