Music

Sutherland Sings Farewell: Joan Sutherland gave her last U.S. opera performance Saturday night on the same Dallas stage where she made her American debut 29 years ago. Sutherland bid farewell to American audiences after singing the title role in “The Merry Widow.” “I thank you all for the wonderful audiences you have been,” she said. “I just feel the time has come. I’d rather leave you with a pleasant sound in your ears than start croaking too much.” She was given a letter of tribute from President Bush after the performance with the Dallas Opera. Sutherland, 63, has scheduled only two more opera performances, in London and her native Australia, before closing her operatic career. She plans to continue, however, performing in concert.