1996 Death Gwen Catley, soprano, dies at 90 1994 Death Herva Nelli, soprano, dies at 85 1994 Death Eugene Ionesco, playwright (Rhinoceros, Bald Soprano), dies at 84 1994 Death Jarmila Novotna, Czechoslovakian/U.S. soprano, 'Madame Butterfly', dies at 86 1993 Death Lucia Popp, Czechoslovakia/Austria soprano (Vienna Opera), dies at 54 1993 Death Arleen Auger, U.S. soprano (Matthaus Passion), dies at 53 1992 Death Dorothy Kirsten, U.S. soprano, dies from stroke at 82 1992 Death Noemie Perugia, French mezzo soprano, dies 1990 Death Eva Turner, British soprano, dies 1989 Death Jo[hanne M Bos-]Vincent, Dutch soprano (Songs for Life), dies at 91 1976 Death Lotte (Krause-)Lehmann, German soprano (More than singing), dies at 88 1976 Death Lily Pons, French/U.S. soprano/opera diva (Met Opera), dies at 71 1967 Death Geraldine Farrar, soprano/actress (Such Sweet Compulsion), dies at 85 1965 Death Jeanette MacDonald, soprano (When I'm Calling You), dies at 63 1963 Death Amelita Galli-Curci, Italian soprano, dies 1962 Death Kirsten Flagstead, Norwegian soprano (Wagner), dies at 67 1961 Death Cato Engelen-Sewing, Dutch soprano singer/primadonna, dies at 93 1961 Birthday James Gandolfini, born in Westwood, New Jersey, actor, famous role of Tony Soprano in HBO series, 'The Sopranos', movies include, 'The Mexican', 'Get Shorty' 1952 Birthday Gianna Rolandi, New York City, soprano, Der Rosenkavalier 1952 Birthday Ashley Putnam, born in New York City, soprano, New York City Opera 1978 1950 Death Antonina Neshdanova, Russian soprano (Bolshoi Theater), dies 1950 Birthday Maria Ewing, born in Detroit, Michigan, opera singer, soprano, mezzo-soprano, debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 'The Marriage of Figaro', 1976 1949 Birthday Rosalind Plowright, British soprano, Aida, Senta 1949 Birthday Emma Kirkby, British soprano 1948 Birthday Leona Mitchell, Enid Oklahoma, soprano, Musetta-La Boheme 1948 Birthday Kathleen Battle, born in Portsmouth, Ohio, soprano, Shephard-Tannhauser 1948 Birthday Catherine Malfitano, born in New York City, soprano, Metropolitan Opera 1948 Birthday Kathleen Battle, U.S. soprano, Tannhauser 1947 Birthday Felicity Lott, English soprano, We come to the river 1947 Death Anna Bahr-von Mildenburg, Austrian soprano/director, dies at 74 1947 Death Grace Moore, U.S. soprano/actress (1 Night of Life), dies at 45 1947 Death Grace Moore, soprano/actress (One Night of Love), dies at 45 1946 Birthday Carol Neblett, Modesto California, soprano, New York City Opera 1945 Birthday Ole Buck, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, composer, pianist, wrote Calligraphy for soprano and chamber orchestra at the age of 20 1944 Birthday Kiri Te Kanawa, born in Gisborne, New Zealand, operatic soprano, Don Giovanni 1943 Birthday Susan Davenny Wyner, New Haven, Connecticut, soprano, Walter Naumberg Prize 1942 Birthday Sheila Armstrong, soprano 1941 Birthday Micki Grant, born in Chicago, Illinois, composer, singer, soprano, actress, writer, composer, appeared on NBC's Another World, became first African-American cast member of a daytime soap opera 1941 Birthday Margaret Price, Tredegar Wales, soprano, Pamlina-Die Zauberflote 1940 Birthday Martina Arroyo, New York City, soprano 1939 Birthday Lucia Popp, Uhorska Ves Czechoslovakia, soprano, Die Zauberflote 1939 Birthday Benita Valente, Delano California, soprano, Pamina-Die Zauberflote 1939 Birthday Joyce Arleen Auger, U.S. soprano, Mozart/Matthaus Passion 1938 Birthday Teresa Stratas, Anastasia Stratakis, Toronto, soprano, Salome 1937 Birthday Elizabeth Vaughan, opera soprano, Victor-Victoria 1937 Birthday Martina Arroyo, New York City, opera soprano, New York Met 1936 Birthday Gwyneth Jones, Pontnewyndd Wales, soprano, Die Walkure 1935 Birthday Helga Pilarczyk, German soprano, Salome, Lulu 1935 Birthday Mirella Freni, Modena Italy, lyric soprano, Madame Butterfly 1935 Birthday Renata Scotto, born in Savona, Italy, singer, soprano, performed La Traviata at age 18, received 15 curtain calls performing Walter in La Wally at La Scala, 1953, directs opera and teaches at her opera academy in Italy, New York 1933 Birthday Montserrat Caballe, born in Barcelona, Spain, soprano, Mimi-La Boheme 1933 Birthday Elisabeth S "Elly" Belder-Ameling, Dutch soprano 1933 Birthday Elly Ameling, Rotterdam Holland, soprano, Ilya-Idomeneo 1931 Birthday Joan Carlyle, British soprano 1931 Death Nellie Melba, Helen Mitchell, Australian soprano, dies 1930 Birthday Phyllis Curtin, Clarksburg, West Virginia, soprano, New York City Opera 1930 Birthday Heather Harper, born in Belfast, Ireland, soprano, known for role of Elsa in Lohengrin, by Wagner, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes, by Britten 1930 Birthday Roberta Peters, New York City, operatic soprano, New York Met 1929 Death Lilli Lehmann, soprano, dies 1929 Birthday Regine Crespin, Marseilles France, operatic soprano 1928 Birthday Leonie Rysanek, dramatic soprano, Vienna Munich State Opera 1952-54 1928 Birthday Judith Raskin, born in New York City, soprano, Susanna-Le Nozze di Figaro 1928 Birthday Christa Ludwig, born in Berlin, Germany, soprano, Vienna State Opera 1927 Birthday Teresa Stich-Randall, U.S. soprano, Vienna State Opera 1927 Birthday Yma Sumac, Chavarri, Ichocan Peru, 5 octave soprano, Omar Khayyam 1927 Birthday Leontyne Mary Violet Price, Laurel Mississippi, opera soprano, Porgy and Bess 1926 Birthday Joan Sutherland, Sydney Australia, operatic soprano, Met Opera 1926 Birthday Galina Vishnevskaya, Leningrad, soprano, Madama Butterfly 1926 Birthday Marguerite Piazza, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, operatic soprano, Young Broadway 1926 Birthday Evelyn Lear, Shulman, born in Brooklyn, New York, soprano 1925 Birthday Mattiwilda Dobbs, born in Atlanta, Georgia, soprano 1925 Birthday Patrice Munsel, Spokane, Washington soprano, Patrice Munsel Show 1924 Birthday Victoria de los Angeles, Spain, soprano, Mimi-La Boheme 1924 Birthday Mimi Benzell, Bridgeport, Connecticut, operatic soprano, Gilda-Rigoletto 1922 Birthday Renata Tebaldi, Pesaro Italy, lyric soprano 1920 Birthday Eileen Farrell, Willimantic Conn, opera soprano, Interrupted Melody 1919 Birthday Patricia Neway, born in Brooklyn, New York, soprano, Consul, Maria Golovia 1919 Death Adelina [Adela JM] Patti, Italian soprano (Lucio), dies at 76 1918 Birthday Birgit Nilsson, Karup Sweden, operatic soprano, Elektra, Salome 1918 Birthday Astrid Varnay, born in Stockholm, Sweden, soprano, Met Opera 1941-56 1916 Birthday Eleanor Steber, born in Wheeling, West Virginia, soprano, Metropolitan Opera-1940 1915 Birthday Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jarotschin Germ, soprano, Der Rosenkavalier 1915 Birthday Dorothy Kirsten, Montclair, New Jersey, soprano, Time to Sing, Chevy Show 1913 Birthday Licia Albanese, born in Bari, Italy, operatic soprano, New York Met Opera 1913 Birthday Ljuba Welitsch, born in Borisovo, Bulgaria, opera soprano, Nedda-Pagliacci 1913 Birthday Martha Modl, German singer/soprano, Wagner 1912 Birthday Joan Hammond, British operatic soprano 1910 Birthday Dorothy Maynor, born in Norfolk, Virginia, soprano/founder, Harlem School of Arts 1910 Birthday Sylvia Fisher, soprano, Albert Herring Opera 1909 Birthday Marjorie Lawrence, Australia, soprano, Venus-Tannhauser 1909 Birthday Herva Nelli, soprano 1908 Birthday Zinka Milanov, Zagreb Yugoslavia, soprano, Ljublama Opera 1927 1907 Birthday Jarmila Novotna, soprano, Met Opera, President of Czechoslovakia, 1957-68 1907 Birthday Nadine Conner, California, soprano, Carmen, Pamina-Magic Flute 1906 Birthday Gwen Catley, British soprano 1904 Birthday Lily Pons, born in Draguignan, France, soprano diva, Hitting a New High 1902 Birthday Bidu Sayao, Niteroi Brazil, soprano, Mimia-La Boheme 1901 Birthday Grace Moore, U.S., soprano, One Night to Live 1899 Birthday Helen Traubel, born in St. Louis, Missouri, soprano, Sieglinde in Walkure, Nightclubs 1898 Birthday Jo[hanne M Bos-]Vincent, Dutch soprano, Matthaus Passion 1895 Birthday Kirsten Flagstead, Norwegian soprano, Wagner 1892 Birthday Eva Turner, British soprano 1889 Death Carlotta Patti, Italian soprano, dies 1888 Birthday Lotte Lehmann, Perleberg Germany, soprano, Fidello 1887 Death Jenny Lind, Swedish Nightingale, soprano, dies at 67 1882 Birthday Amelita Galli-Curci, Italy, operatic soprano, Cave of the Winds 1882 Birthday Geraldine Farrar, U.S. soprano/actress, Story of American Singer 1873 Birthday Antonina Neshdanova, Russian soprano, Rigoletto 1872 Birthday Anna Bahr-von Mildenburg, Austrian soprano/director 1868 Birthday Cato Engelen-Sewing, Dutch soprano prima donna, Dutch Opera 1859 Birthday Nellie Melba, Heal Mitchell, Australian soprano, Peach Melba 1843 Birthday Adelina Patti, born in Madrid, Spain, opera soprano, Lucio 1841 Birthday Pauline Lucca, soprano 1840 Birthday Carlotta Patti, Italian soprano 1822 Event Composer Gioacchino Rossini marries Spanish soprano 1820 Birthday Jenny Lind, Sweden, soprano/nightingale, Agathe-Freischutz 1798 Birthday Giuditta Pasta, soprano
