Kemble, Adelaide

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Kemble, Adelaide

Kemble, Adelaide , English soprano; b. London, 1814; d. Warsash House, Hampshire, Aug. 4, 1879. She made her debut at a Concert of Ancient Music in London on May 13, 1835. After studies in Paris and Germany, she completed her vocal training with Pasta at Lake Corno (1839). In 1839 she sang Norma in Venice, and then appeared in Trieste, Milan, Padua, Bologna, and Mantua with notable success in 1840. In 1841 she returned to London and sang in the English language productions of Norma, Le nozze di Figaro, La sonnambula, and Semiramide at Covent Garden. In 1843 she retired following her marriage. Her sister, the actress Fanny Kemble, recounted her life in Record of a Girlhood (London, 1878).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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