Frezzolini, Erminia

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Frezzolini, Erminia

Frezzolini, Erminia, Italian soprano; b. Orvieto, March 27, 1818; d. Paris, Nov. 5, 1884. She studied with her father, the bass Giuseppe Frezzolini, and with Nencini, Ronconi, Manuel Garcia, and Tacchinardi. In 1838 she made her operatic debut in Beatrice di Tenda in Florence, and then appeared in London in 1842. On Feb. 11, 1843, she created the role of Viclinda in / Lombardi in Milan, returning there to create the title role in Giovanna d’Arco on Feb. 15, 1845. In 1850 she again sang in London, and in 1855 she appeared in N.Y., where she was the first Gilda. She also sang in Vienna, St. Petersburg, Madrid, and Paris. In 1860 she retired from the stage, but resumed her career in 1863. In 1868 she retired for good.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire