On this day 100 years ago, tenor Mario del Monaco was born. Born on this day in 1824 dramatist Alexandre Dumas filsBorn on this day in 1867 composer Enrique GranadosBorn on this day in 1896 bass Ivar AndrésenBorn on this day in 1909 conductor Gianandrea GavazzeniHappy 75th birthday Bugs Bunny (first seen in Wild Hare, released July 27, 1940)Happy 63rd birthday soprano Carol VanessAnd here’s a bonus: a classic episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera featuring today’s centenarian. Once La Cieca finishes her babbling, the performance is Act 2 of La forza del destino from New Orleans Opera in 1953.
Se uno squillo intenderà
On this day 100 years ago, tenor Mario del Monaco was born.
WindyCityOperaman
Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
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Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
