Vallili, Ninon
Vallili, Ninon
Vallili, Ninon, French soprano; b. Montalieu-Vercieu, Sept. 8, 1886; d. Lyons, Nov. 22, 1961. She studied at the Lyons Cons, and with Meyriane Heglon in Paris. After appearing in concerts, she attracted the notice of Debussy, who chose her to sing in the premiere of his Le martyre de Saint Sébastienin 1911. He later accompanied her in recitals. In 1912 she made her operatic debut as Micaela at the Paris Opéra-Comique, where she sang until 1916. In 1916 she made her first appearance at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, continuing to sing there until 1936. She appeared at Milan’s La Scala in 1916 and in Rome in 1917. In 1920 she made her debut at the Paris Opéra as Thaïs. In 1934 she sang at the San Francisco Opera. Thereafter she toured as a concert artist. After teaching at the Montevideo Cons. (1953-59), she settled in Lyons. Among her finest roles were Zerlina, Alceste, Charlotte, Mignon, Juliette, and Mélisande. As a concert singer, she excelled in works by French and Spanish composers.
Bibliography
R. de Fragny, N. V.: Princesse du chant (Lyons, 1963).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire