Kronold, Selma

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Kronold, Selma

Kronold, Selma, Polish-American soprano, sister of Hans Kronold; b. Kraków, Aug. 18, 1861; d. N.Y, Oct. 9, 1920. She made her debut as Agathe in Der Freischütz in Leipzig when she was 16, and then was engaged to sing Wagnerian roles in various European cities. In 1888 she went to the U.S., where she sang leading roles in the American premieres of Cavalleria rusticana (Philadelphia, Sept. 9, 1891) and Pagliacci (N.Y, June 15, 1893). She first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Helmwige in Die Walküre (Feb. 6, 1891). She was again on its roster (1898-99; 1903-04), and then founded the Catholic Oratorio Soc.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire