Ilitsch, Daniza

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Ilitsch, Daniza

Ilitsch, Daniza, Serbian soprano; b. Belgrade, Feb. 21, 1914; d. Vienna, Jan. 15, 1965. She studied at the Stankovic Cons. in Belgrade, then in Berlin. She made her operatic debut as Nedda in Pagliacci with the Berlin State Opera (Nov. 6, 1936); was on its roster for 2 seasons, then was a member of the Vienna State Opera (1938–41). The German army of occupation put her in a concentration camp in 1944, and she spent 4 months there until the liberation of Vienna. She made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Desdemona (March 12, 1947), remaining on its roster until 1948. Thereafter she pursued her career in Europe and South America. In 1959 she settled in Vienna. She was principally known for her roles in Italian opera, including Aida, Desdemona, Gioconda, Amelia, and Cio-Cio-San.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire