Melis, Carmen

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Melis, Carmen

Melis, Carmen, Italian soprano; b. Cagliari, Aug. 14, 1885; d. Longone al Segrino, Dec. 19, 1967. She was a student of Teresina Singer and Carlo Carignani in Milan, of Cotogni in Rome, and of Jean de Reszke in Paris. In 1905 she made her operatic debut in Novara, and then sang in Naples (1906) and Russia (1907). On Nov. 26, 1909, she made her U.S. debut as Tosca at the Manhattan Opera in N.Y, and then appeared in Boston, Chicago, and other U.S. cities. In 1913 she made her first appearance at London’s Covent Garden. She later sang at Milan’s La Scala, and sang regularly at the Rome Opera. Following her retirement in 1935, she taught voice. Among her most impressive roles were Musetta, Thaïs, Nedda, Zazà, Mistress Ford, Fedora, and the Marschallin.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire