Tassinari, Pia

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Tassinari, Pia

Tassinari, Pia, Italian soprano and mezzo-soprano; b. Modigliana, Sept. 15, 1903; d. Faenza, May 15, 1996. She received her musical training in Bologna and Milan. She made her operatic debut as Mimi at Castel Monferrato in 1929; then sang at La Scala in Milan (1931-37; 1945-6) and at the Rome Opera (1933-44; 1951-52). She made her American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. on Dec. 26, 1947, as Tosca. Although she began her career as a soprano, in later years she preferred to sing mezzo-soprano parts. Her repertoire included both soprano and mezzo-soprano roles, e.g., Mimi, Tosca, Manon, and Marguerite, and also Amneris and Carmen. She was married to Ferruccio Tagliavini.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire