Born in Merseburg (Germany), she studied voice and music in Dresden, Hamburg and Berlin. At the age of 31, in1919, she joined the Wiener Staatsoper. For 13 years she participated at the Salzburg Festspiele (1922-1935). She was also guest performer with many orchestras in Milan, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, London etc.
After the Anschluss she left for the USA(1938), and continued her musical carreer. Elisabeth Schumann was teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and also she performed as an interpreter of lieder. She started to perform again in Europe in 1947. Elisabeth Schumann was married to Carl Alwin, a Jewish Austrian musician.