Storchio, Rosina

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Storchio, Rosina

Storchio, Rosina, Italian soprano; b. Venice, May 19, 1876; d. Milan, July 24, 1945. She studied at the Milan Cons.; then made her operatic debut at Milan’s Teatro del Verme as Micaëla in Carmen in 1892. In 1895 she made her first appearance at Milan’s La Scala as Sophie in Werther; in 1897 she sang in the premiere of Leoncavallo’s La Bohème in Venice; returning to Milan, she appeared in the title role of Leoncavallo’s Zazà at the Teatro Lirico in 1900; then appeared at La Scala (from 1902), where she sang in the premieres of several operas, including the title role of Madama Butterfly (Feb. 7, 1904); continued to appear there until 1918. After a series of tours in South America and in Europe, she was briefly engaged at N.Y.’s Manhattan Opera House and at the Chicago Grand Opera (1920–21); then retired from the stage. She was paralyzed during the last years of her life as a result of an apoplectic stroke.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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