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JEANNE FRANCOISE BALBI 1842-???? French Soprano Debut 1861 at Opera Comique as Virginie in “Le Caid” by Thomas

as Le Comte de Nevers "le Huguenots" by Meyerbeer JEAN-BAPTISTE FAURE 15 January 1830 – 9 November 1914) French operatic baritone Faure was born in Moulins. A choirboy in his youth, he entered the Paris Conservatory in 1851 and made his operatic debut the following year at the Opéra-Comique, as Pygmalion in Victor Massé's Galathée. He remained at the Opéra-Comique for over seven years, singing baritone roles such as Max in Adolphe Adam's Le chalet and Michel in Thomas's Le caïd. During this time he also created the Marquis d'Erigny in Auber's Manon Lescaut (1856) and Hoël in Meyerbeer's Le pardon de Ploërmel (1859; later known as Dinorah), among seven premieres at that house. He made his debut at the Royal Opera House, London, in 1860 as Hoël, and at the Paris Opera in 1861. He would sing at the Opera every season until 1869 and then again in 1872-76 and 1878. In addition, he continued to perform off and on in London until 1877 at venues such as Her Majesty's Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Among the many operas in which he appeared in Paris were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni as well as L'étoile du nord, Les Huguenots and La favorite. He also made history by creating several important operatic roles written by such prominent composers as Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giuseppe Verdi and Ambroise Thomas. They included the leading baritone parts in L'Africaine, Don Carlos and Hamlet (in 1865, 1867, and 1868 respectively). His last stage appearances are recorded as taking place in Marseilles and Vichy in 1886.

Prince Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans 24 August 1869 – 28 March 1926 lover of Nellie Melba Prior to his imprisonment in France, Philippe had been unofficially engaged to his first-cousin Princess Marguerite of Orléans. The engagement was cancelled when Philippe's involvement with the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba was revealed. Although they had lived apart for some years, Melba was still married to Charles Nesbitt Armstrong. Armstrong filed for divorce from Melba on the grounds of adultery, naming Philippe as co-respondent; the case was eventually dropped.He was the Orléanist claimant to the throne of France from 1894 to 1926.

as Carmen in "Carmen by Bizet Antonia Tikhonova Russian Mezzo

as Van Brett in "Czar & Zimmermann" by Lortzing Paul Knupfer 1866-1920 German Bass Studied at Sondershausen, where he made his début in 1885. He sang in Leipzig (1887– 98), then from 1898 he was engaged at the Berlin Hofoper (later Staatsoper) until his retirement in 1920.Guested at Bayreuth between 1901-1912 He took part in the disastrous première of Leoncavallo’s Roland von Berlin (1904) and sang Ochs in the Berlin première of Der Rosenkavalier (1911).Roles included Pogner in ‘Die Meistersanger’ , Gurnemanz in ‘Parsifal’ , Daland in ‘Die Fliengende Hollander’ ,Hundung in ‘Die Walkure’ all by Wagner ,Baron Ochs ‘ der Rosenkavalier’ by Strauss and Falstaff in ‘Lustigen Weiber von Windsor’ by Nicolai

Paul Knupfer 1866-1920 German Bass Studied at Sondershausen, where he made his début in 1885. He sang in Leipzig (1887– 98), then from 1898 he was engaged at the Berlin Hofoper (later Staatsoper) until his retirement in 1920.Guested at Bayreuth between 1901-1912 He took part in the disastrous première of Leoncavallo’s Roland von Berlin (1904) and sang Ochs in the Berlin première of Der Rosenkavalier (1911).Roles included Pogner in ‘Die Meistersanger’ , Gurnemanz in ‘Parsifal’ , Daland in ‘Die Fliengende Hollander’ ,Hundung in ‘Die Walkure’ all by Wagner ,Baron Ochs ‘ der Rosenkavalier’ by Strauss and Falstaff in ‘Lustigen Weiber von Windsor’ by Nicolai

as Princess Stella in 'La Cheval de Bronze" by Auber Marie Dietrich 1868-1940 German Soprano Studied at the conservatory of Stuttgart with Ferdinand Jäger and later studied with Pauline Viardot-Garcia She began as a concert singer, and made her operatic debut in 1888 at the Court Opera Stuttgart and remained until 1891 She sang at Bayreuth in 1888 as a Flower in “Parsifal” by Wagner. Guest appearance in Vienna in 1891 and then went to Berlin .She performed several times at the Court Opera of Dresden and Court Theatre of Hannover 1897-1906 and in 1896 at the Court Opera of Moscow. She appeared in 1898 at the Berlin Court Opera in the premiere of the opera 'Don Quixote' by W.Kienzl. Her farewell to the stage in the role of Marie in ‘’Waffenschmied’’ by Lortzing in 1912 . After her farewell to the stage she worked as a concert soprano and as a teacher in Berlin Her roles included Susanna in 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart,Zerlina in 'Don Giovanni' by Mozart, Queen of the Night in 'The Magic Flute' by Mozart Marcellina in ‘Fidelio’ by Beethovan, Lucia in’ Lucia di Lammermoor’ by Donizetti, Marie in 'Daughter of the Regiment' by Donizetti, Princesse in 'Jean de Paris' by Boieldieu, Amina in La ‘Sonnambula' by Bellini, Queen Marguerite & Page Urbain in 'Les Huguenots', Meyerbeer,

Charles Friant 1890-1947 French Tenor Studied at the Paris Conservatory.Debut 1919 at the Opera Lyrique Paris as Spakos in“Cleopatre” by Massenet a role he created In 1920 he was contracted to the Opera Comique where he remained for 20years making guest appearances at Nice , Deauville, Cannes and Brussels .He created many roles at the Opera Comique Gyges in “Le Roi Candaule” by Bruneau 1920 , Richard Hardy in “Forfaiture” by Erlanger 1921 , Narses in “Le Hulla” by Rousseau 1923,Dagobert in “Le bon roi Dagobert ‘ By Rousseau 1927,Raphael in “Le Peau de Chagrin” by Levade 1929 and Zadig in “Zadig” by Duperier 1938.His roles included Don Jose “Carmen” by Bizet,Armand in ‘Frasquita” by Lehar , Cavadossi in “Tosca” by Puccini , Jean in “Le Jongleur Notre Dame” by Massenet , Des Grieux in “Manon” by Massenet , Canio in “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo ,and Pedro in “La Habanera” by Laparra

Charles Friant 1890-1947 French Tenor Studied at the Paris Conservatory.Debut 1919 at the Opera Lyrique Paris as Spakos in“Cleopatre” by Massenet a role he created In 1920 he was contracted to the Opera Comique where he remained for 20years making guest appearances at Nice , Deauville, Cannes and Brussels .He created many roles at the Opera Comique Gyges in “Le Roi Candaule” by Bruneau 1920 , Richard Hardy in “Forfaiture” by Erlanger 1921 , Narses in “Le Hulla” by Rousseau 1923,Dagobert in “Le bon roi Dagobert ‘ By Rousseau 1927,Raphael in “Le Peau de Chagrin” by Levade 1929 and Zadig in “Zadig” by Duperier 1938.His roles included Don Jose “Carmen” by Bizet,Armand in ‘Frasquita” by Lehar , Cavadossi in “Tosca” by Puccini , Jean in “Le Jongleur Notre Dame” by Massenet , Des Grieux in “Manon” by Massenet , Canio in “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo ,and Pedro in “La Habanera” by Laparra

as Alfredo in La Traviata" by Verdi Tino Pattiera 1890-1966 Croation Tenor Debut at the Dresden Opera in 1914 as Manrico in “Il trovatore” by Verdi. In addition to his work in Dresden in the Italian repertoire, BHe was a guest artist in several European cities, and joined the Chicago Opera Company for the 1920/21 season. His last performance was in 1953 at Dresden and then retired, after which he taught in Vienna. Roles included Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos “ by Strauss Andrea Chenier in “Andrea Chénier” by Giordano, Don Alvaro “La Forza Destino” by Verdi , Don Carlos in “Don Carlos” by Verdi

Tino Pattiera 1890-1966 Croation Tenor Debut at the Dresden Opera in 1914 as Manrico in “Il trovatore” by Verdi. In addition to his work in Dresden in the Italian repertoire, BHe was a guest artist in several European cities, and joined the Chicago Opera Company for the 1920/21 season. His last performance was in 1953 at Dresden and then retired, after which he taught in Vienna. Roles included Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos “ by Strauss Andrea Chenier in “Andrea Chénier” by Giordano, Don Alvaro “La Forza Destino” by Verdi , Don Carlos in “Don Carlos” by Verdi

as Don Jose in "Carmen" by Bizet Tino Pattiera 1890-1966 Croation Tenor Debut at the Dresden Opera in 1914 as Manrico in “Il trovatore” by Verdi. In addition to his work in Dresden in the Italian repertoire, BHe was a guest artist in several European cities, and joined the Chicago Opera Company for the 1920/21 season. His last performance was in 1953 at Dresden and then retired, after which he taught in Vienna. Roles included Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos “ by Strauss Andrea Chenier in “Andrea Chénier” by Giordano, Don Alvaro “La Forza Destino” by Verdi , Don Carlos in “Don Carlos” by Verdi

Alice Zeppilli 1885-1969 French Soprano Professional opera debut in Milan at the Teatro Lirico in 1901 at the age of 16 as Stella in the world premiere of “Chopin” by Giacomo Orefice . She was at Venice at La Fenice in 1902-1903 1904 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo She returned to Monte Carlo periodically during her career,From 1905 to 1907 she performed with a touring Italian opera company in Argentina, Egypt, Greece, and Romania. In 1907 at the Teatro Regio di Parma and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London From 1907 to 1910 she was a member of Oscar Hammerstein I's Manhattan Opera Company in New York City, and the Philadelphia Opera Company. In 1909-1910 she also performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and took further study with soprano Rose Caron. From 1910 to 1914 was a member of the Chicago Grand Opera Company .Created 1912 the role of Rosaura in the world premiere of “ dispettosi amanti “ by Attilio Parelli. 1917-1918 she was at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome and 1919 at Teatro San Carlo in Naples Other roles she sang were Antonia and Olympia in The Tales of Hoffman, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Gilda in Rigoletto , Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots , Marguerite in Faust, Micaela in Carmen, Musetta in La Boheme, Nedda in Pagliacci, Ophélie in Hamlet, Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Violetta in La Traviata, Zerlina in Don Giovanni,

Isobel Baillie 1895-1983 English Soprano Studied in Manchester as a pupil of Sadler Fogg .Her first performance of the Messiah at the age of 15 .In 1921 she was invited to appear with Manchester's Hallé Orchestra, and she made her first, highly successful, London appearance in 1923. During 1925-1926 she studied with Guglielmo Somma in Milan. Thereafter she made numerous appearances as an oratorio and Lieder artist in England. Although she did not regard herself as an operatic singer, her performances of Gluck's Orpheus and Charles Gounod's Faust were very popular .She performed in Handel’s Messiah , Haydn's Creation, Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Johannes Brahms's German Requiem and. J. Brahms's Requiem. She was also noted for her renderings of British music, including Ralph Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music (of which she was the original singer), Edward Elgar's The Kingdom, and Herbert Howells's Hymnus Paradisi.She taught at the Royal College of Music in London (1955-1957, 1961-1964), Cornell University in Ithaca, New York (1960-1961), and the Manchester School of Music (from 1970). She continued to give lectures and recitals until her retirement.In 1951 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire; and in 1978 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

as Sadko in "Sadko " by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Vassili Petrovich Damaev 1878-1932 Russian Tenor Sang in a church choir as a boy. From 1903 to 1905 he studied in Moscow .Became a member of Zimin’s Operain in 1906, Debut as the Pretender in “Boris Godunov” by Moussorgsky in 1908 at Moscow singing with several Moscow opera companies, including the Bolshoi opera, He toured the Russian provinces from 1908-1910 In the seasons of 1909,1911 and 1913 he sang in the Russian opera seasons at Paris , London and Italy He retired in 1922 Roles Pretender in “Boris Godunov” by Moussorgsky . Andrej in “Khovanshchina” by Moussorgsky , Tucha in “Maid of Pskov” by Rimsky-Korsakov , Levko in “May Night” by Rimsky-Korsakov , Sadko in “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov ,Sobinon in “A life of the Tsar” by Glink and Andrei in “Mazeppa” by Tchaikovsky

as Mimi & Rodolfo in "La Boheme" by Puccini Vera Lutse (Vera Vladimirova de Luce) 1879-1977 Russian Soprano Studied with her mother, an opera singer Sofia Konarskaya in Warsaw and had great success at the Opera House of Warsaw since 1900's. In 1907 she guested in Italy under the name Vera de Luza, but was involved in the same year at the Zimin Private Opera in Moscow. Here she created for Moscow the role of Butterfly in “Madama Butterfly” by Puccini. She stayed until 1913 at the Zimin Opera and then gave guest performances at various opera houses in Russia, especially in Odessa and Kharkov. Starring in her extensive stage repertoire as Rosina in "Barber of Seville" by Rossini , Juliette in "Roméo et Juliette" by Gounod, Mimi in "La Bohème" by Puccini and the Antonida in "Life for the Tsar" ( "Ivan Susanin") by Glinka. From 1920 she worked as a teacher, and since 1934 worked as a lecturer at the Gnesin Conservatory Moscow.. Vassili Petrovich Damaev 1878-1932 Russian Tenor Sang in a church choir as a boy. From 1903 to 1905 he studied in Moscow .Became a member of Zimin’s Operain in 1906, Debut as the Pretender in “Boris Godunov” by Moussorgsky in 1908 at Moscow singing with several Moscow opera companies, including the Bolshoi opera, He toured the Russian provinces from 1908-1910 In the seasons of 1909,1911 and 1913 he sang in the Russian opera seasons at Paris , London and Italy He retired in 1922 Roles Pretender in “Boris Godunov” by Moussorgsky . Andrej in “Khovanshchina” by Moussorgsky , Tucha in “Maid of Pskov” by Rimsky-Korsakov , Levko in “May Night” by Rimsky-Korsakov , Sadko in “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov ,Sobinon in “A life of the Tsar” by Glink and Andrei in “Mazeppa” by Tchaikovsky

as Juliette in "Romeo & Juliette" by Gounod Jane Noria (Josephine Ludwig) 1875-1924 American Soprano Toured in the US with the Savage Opera Company before going to Europe for further Studies.Her Paris debut was a Juliette in “Romeo & Juliette” by Gounod at the Opera Comique in 1903 , she sang in France and Italy before returning to USA in 1909 where she joined the Metropolitan Opera New York . She also sang in Boston,Chigago,Manhattan New York and Philadelphia. Roles included Juliette in “Romeo & Juliette” by Gounod, Elizabeth and Venus in “Tannhauser” by Wagner , Elsa in “Lohengrin” by Wagner, Marguerite in “Faust” by Gounod,Sanyuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Mascagni,Carmen in “Carmen” by Bizet, Gioconda in “La Gioconda” by Ponchielli and Nedda in “Pagliacci” by Leoncavallo

Sigrid Onégin (Elizabeth Elfriede Sigrid Hoffmann) 1889 – 1943 Swedish contralto She studied in Frankfurt, Munich, and Milan, and also took lessons from Lilli Lehmann and Margarethe Siems She made her professional debut in concert under her maiden name, Lilly Hoffmann in 1911. After her marriage to Russian pianist and composer Eugene Onégin (1870–1919), she sang briefly as Lilly Hoffmann-Onégin. Debut as Carmen in “Carmen” by Bizet at Stuttgart in October 1912, She created Dryad in “Ariadne auf Naxos “ By Richard Strauss atd the Stuttgart Opera in 1912 .She went to the Munich Opera in 1919. In the 1920s, she spent two seasons at the Metropolitan Opera and one at Covent Garden, singing Amneris (Aida) as well as a variety of Wagnerian roles. In the 1930s, she sang at Salzburg and Bayreuth Festival, but she was most widely sought after for her concert performances..Her last concert appearance came in the United States in 1938. Roles included. Orfeo in “ Orfeo ed Euridice” by Gluck , Eboli in “Don Carlos” by Verdi , Fidès in “Le prophète” by Meyerbeer , Erda in both “Das Rheingold “ & “Siegfried” by Wagner , Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth” by Verdi , Fricka in both “Das Rheingold & Die Walküre” by Wagner ,Waltraute in “Die Walküre & Götterdämmerung” by Wagner ,Brangäne in “Tristan und Isolde” by Wagner , Amneris in “Aida” by Verdi and Orsini in “Lucrezia Borgia” by Donizetti