Lussali, Zélie de
Lussali, Zélie de
Lussali, Zélie de, American soprano; b. Brooklyn, Dec. 21,1862; d. London, Dec. 18,1949. She was trained in singing by her mother, and made her first public appearance at Chickering Hall in N.Y. (April 2,1878). In 1885 she joined the Boston Ideal Opera Co., and then went to London, where she made her debut as Carmen with A. Harris’s Italian Opera Co. at Covent Garden (July 7, 1888); subsequently sang with the Carl Rosa Opera Co. and Mapleson’s company. She sang Carmen again for her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Nov. 26, 1894; after that season, was on its roster again from 1898 to 1900. She was particularly successful at Covent Garden (1890-93; 1895-1900; 1902-03; 1910). She was called upon to sing Carmen more than 1,000 times during her career; she was also a noted Cherubino, Zerlina, Mignon, and Nedda. Lussan was married to the pianist Angelo Fronani.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire