Ackté (real name, Achté), Aino
Ackté (real name, Achté), Aino
Ackté (real name, Achté), Aino, Finnish soprano; b. Helsinki, April 23, 1876; d. Nummela, Aug. 8, 1944. She studied first with her mother, the soprano Emmy Strömer-Achté (1850–1924), and then with Duvernoy, Girodet, and P. Vidal at the Paris Cons. On Oct. 8, 1897, she made her operatic debut as Marguerite at the Paris Opéra, which role she also chose for her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Feb. 20, 1904; sang there until 1905. On Jan. 16, 1907, she made her first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Eisa; on Dec. 8, 1910, she sang Salome in the first British perf. of Strauss’s opera there, which led the satisfied composer to invite her to repeat her success in Dresden and Paris. In later years, Ackté pursued her career in Finland. In 1938-39 she was director of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki. Her other notable roles included Elisabeth, Senta, Juliette, Ophélie, Gilda, and Nedda.
Writings
Minnen och fantasier (Stockholm, 1916); Muistojeni kirja (The Book of My Recollections; Helsinki, 1925); Taiteeni taipaleelta (My Life As an Artist; Helsinki, 1935).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire