Description

EVA LEONI (BERLIN, GERMANY, 1895 – NEW YORK, USA, 1972)

 

 

 

 

She was the daughter of Hungarian parents. At the age of 16, she went to Milan, where she studied with several Maestri. In 1913, she made her debut in Italy in the operetta The Geisha by S. Jones. In the 1913-1914 season, she undertook a South American tour with the Marchetti Opera Company, appearing in works such as Die lustige Witwe, Der Zigeunerbaron, Die Fledermaus, Boccaccio, and Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène. In 1913, she had her first success at the Teatro Victorio, followed by a performance at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as Gilda in Rigoletto.

During the 1913-1914 season, she performed in Italian theaters in both operas and operettas, including in Rome, Turin, Genoa, and Naples. In 1914, she was caught in South America by the outbreak of the First World War and moved to the USA. She went to New York for further studies with Gabriele Sibella, and in 1918, she sang the role of Nedda in Pagliacci at the Academy of Music in New York. She later performed at Stuyvesant Park in New York as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

In 1922, she appeared on Broadway in New York in the French opera Galathée by Massé. She became known in North America for her concert performances, radio recordings, and sound recordings. In 1923, she took part in the American premiere of Schönberg’s Herzgewächse. In 1924, she performed the role of Oscar in Un Ballo in maschera at the Manhattan Opera in New York. In 1926, she appeared in Montreal as Gilda, and in 1929, as a member of the Franchetti Opera Company, she sang Rosina.

In 1931, she performed in Los Angeles in the operetta The Geisha. That same year, she gave a concert in New York. She later settled in San Francisco, and eventually returned to New York, where she arranged opera performances for children. In 1946, she married actor A. J. Herbert and worked as a pedagogue in Vienna. She returned to New York in 1964, where she continued her work in children’s opera.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1913-1914 South America tour Marchetti Opera Company

1913 Buenos Aires Teatro Colón Rigoletto (Gilda)

1918 New York Academy of Music Pagliacci (Nedda)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Una voce poco fa Emerson No. 02027-XP 4433-2B
2. Bohème (Puccini) O soave fanciulla (w. Frascona) A20040 533-1B Emerson, 1920
3. Dinorah (Meyerbeer) Ombra Leggiera Emerson No. 02027-XP 4434-2D
4. Fledermaus (Strauss) Mein Herr Marquis 73736 B27529 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-02-02
5. Fledermaus (Strauss) Mein Herr, was dächten Sie von mir 73736 B27530 Victor, Camden NJ 1923-02-02
6. Lakmé (Delibes) Où va la jeune Hindoue L1988 98283 Columbia, New York 1926-07-26
7. Parysatis (Saint-Saëns) Le rossignol et la rose L1988 W98267 Columbia, New York 1926-05-25
8. Slända (Sibelius) 9123-M xCo19595 Columbia, New York 1936-07-23