Born in Meriden, Connecticut, on January 22, 1897, Rosa Ponzillo began her singing at an early age in cafes and motion picture theaters in Meriden and New Haven. Later she and her sister Carmela played in vaudeville in Pittsburgh as the Ponzillo Sisters. Much of her early career is obscure, but in 1918 she came to the attention of Enrico Caruso, who was deeply impressed by her voice. At his urging she was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and she made her operatic debut there as Rosa Ponselle opposite Caruso in La Forza del Destino in November 1918. She remained at the Met for 18 years.
Among her greatest successes were those in Weber╒s Oberon in the Met╒s first performance of that work in December 1918, the world premiere of Breil╒s The Legend in March 1919, La Juive, Don Carlos, Il Trovatore, Andrea Chenier, Le Roi d╒Ys, Ernani, Guillaume Tell, L╒Africaine, Spontini╒s La Vestale, in the Met╒s first production in November 1925, Norma, which she sang in 1927 in the Met╒s first production in 36 years, Luisa Miller, La Giocanda, Notte di Zoraima and Carmen. Her London debut occurred at Covent Garden in May 1930 in Norma. Her rich, supple soprano, especially strong in its lower notes but remarkably seamless throughout its wide range, and her superb technique (she was particularly noted for her trill) enabled her to fill dramatic and exotic roles with particular power. She was remembered by some critics as the greatest voice of her day, as well as the first American-born, American-trained singer to star at the Met. In 1924, when she visited the dying composer Puccini and sang his aria ╥Vissi d'Arte╙ from his opera Tosca, he held his head in his hands and said, ╥How sad I didn't hear her before.╙ She retired after the 1936╨1937 season, in part because of marriage and in part because of a dispute with the Met management. She lived thereafter in her Baltimore home. In 1950 she became artistic director of the Baltimore Civic Opera Company. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 and in 1969 was decorated Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. She died on May 25, 1981, in Stevenson, Maryland.
~styl ` , ! ¬ 5¬ 5¬ ' !I : !I N !I è 5¬ ï !I ╛ !I ─ !I ! !I + !I ; !I C !I E !I O !I Q !I ] !I _ !I m !I o !I z !I | !I é !I ä !I Æ !I ö !I ƒ !I á !I í !I ¼ !I ╢ !I Φ !I φ !I 1 !I = !I ? !I J !I L !I \ !I ñ !I ⌐ !I ú !I ¿ !I link `
