Caballé, Montserrat (1933–)

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Caballé, Montserrat (1933–)

Spanish soprano. Name variations: Caballe. Born April 12, 1933, in Barcelona, Spain; studied at Barcelona Conservatorio del Liceo and with Eugenia Kemeny, Conchita Badia, and Napoleone Annovazzi.

One of the 20th century's greatest prima donnas, awarded Liceo gold medal (1954); appeared in Barcelona, Basel and Vienna (late 1950s); debuted at the Teatro alla Scala (1960), and Mexico City, Chicago, and Metropolitan Opera (1965); debuted at Covent Garden (1970); in one 7-year period, sang 47 different operatic roles, from Mozart to Wagner and Strauss, though Carmen came to dominate her repertoire.

See also Women in World History.