Fürsch-Madi(er), Emma or Emmy

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Fürsch-Madi(er), Emma or Emmy

Fürsch-Madi(er), Emma or Emmy, French

soprano; b. Bayonne, 1847; d. Warrenville, NJ., Sept. 19, 1894. She studied at the Paris Cons., making her operatic debut as Marguerite in Paris (1868). She then sang with the French Opera Co. in New Orleans (1873–74), making her first appearance at London’s Covent Garden as Valentine in Les Huguenots (May 9, 1881). After adopting the name Fiirsch-Madi (1882), she sang there again (1883–88). She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Ortrud on Nov. 7, 1883, appearing again on its roster in 1893–94. She was particularly noted for her portrayals of Donna Anna, Lucrezia Borgia, and Aida.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire