Tess (real name, Tesscorolo), Giulia

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Tess (real name, Tesscorolo), Giulia

Tess (real name, Tesscorolo), Giulia, noted Italian mezzo-soprano, later soprano; b. Verona, Feb. 9, 1889; d. Milan, March 17, 1976. She studied with Bot-tagisio in Verona. She made her operatic debut as a mezzo-soprano in 1904 in Prato; later sang soprano roles after being encouraged by Battistini. In 1922 she was invited by Toscanini to sing at La Scala in Milan, where she created the role of Jaele in Pizzetti’s Debora e Jaele. She continued to sing there with great distinction until 1936; then was director of stage craft at the Florence Centro di Avviamento al Teatro Lirico (1940-42), at the Bologna Cons. (1941-46), and at the La Scala opera school (from 1946). Her students included Tagliavini and Barbieri; she also produced opera at La Scala and other Italian opera houses. She was married to the conductor Giacomo Armani (1868-1954). In addition to the Italian repertoire, she gained distinction as an interpreter of roles by Richard Strauss, excelling as Salome and Elektra.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire