Vere (real name, Wood de Vere), Clémentine Duchene de
Vere (real name, Wood de Vere), Clémentine Duchene de
Vere (real name, Wood de Vere), Clémentine Duchene de, French soprano; b. Paris, Dec. 12,1864; d. Mount Vernon, N.Y., Jan. 19,1954. Her father was a Belgian nobleman, and her mother, an English lady. Her musical education was completed under the instruction of Mme. Albertini-Baucardé in Florence, where she made her debut at the age of 16 as Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots. On Feb. 2, 1896, she made her American debut at the Metropolitan Opera, N.Y., as Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust;she remained on its roster until 1897; was again at the Metropolitan from 1898 to 1900; her other roles with it were Violetta, Gilda, and Lucia. In 1892 she married the conductor Romualdo Sapio; taught voice from 1914. Her voice was a brilliant high soprano, and she excelled in coloratura.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire