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Born: April 4, 1863 - Paris, France
Died: December 15, 1940 - London, England |
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The French soprano and teacher of Italian-German descent, Blanche Marchesi (de Castrone), was the daughter of the distinguished Italian baritone and teacher Salvatore Marchesi de Castrorie (1822-1908) and the famous German mezzo-soprano and pedagogue Mathilde (née Graumann) Marchesi de Castrone (1821-1913). After studying violin, she turned to vocal training with her mother.
Blanche Marchesi began her career singing in private and charity concerts in Paris, and then appeared in Berlin and Brussels in 1895. On June 19, 1896, she made her London debut in a concert and made England her home. In 1900 she made her operatic debut as Brünnhilde in Die Walkure in Prague, and then returned to England to sing with the Moody-Manners Company. In 1902 she appeared at London's Covent Garden as Elisabeth, Elsa, and Isolde. For the most part, however, she pursued a career on the concert stage. Later she was also active as a teacher. She made her farewell concert appearance in 1938. She published memoir A Singer’s Pilgrimage (London, 1923), and the didactic volume The Singer’s Catechism (London, 1932). |
