Boninsegna, Celestina

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Boninsegna, Celestina

Boninsegna, Celestina, Italian soprano; b. Reggio Emilia, Feb. 26, 1877; d. Milan, Feb. 14, 1947. Without the benefit of vocal training, she made her debut at the age of 15 at Reggio Emilia as Nor ina; then enrolled at the Pesaro Cons.; her official debut took place in Fano in 1896, when she appeared as Gilda; then sang in Milan, Rome, Genoa, and South America; also at London’s Covent Garden (1904, 1905). On Dec. 21, 1906, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Aida, but remained on the roster for only that 1 season. In 1909–10 she sang with the Boston Opera. Following her retirement, she taught voice; spent her last years in the Casa di Riposo in Milan.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire