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.
On this day in 1938, Lillian Hellman’s play The Little Foxes opened at the National Theatre to run 410 performances.
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Happy 60th birthday to soprano, actress, media personality, creative consultant and parterre box muse Renée Fleming.
Happy 50th birthday mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.
Happy 95th birthday director and designer Franco Zeffirelli.
On this day in 1966 soprano Pilar Lorengar made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Donna Elvira.
A joyous 92nd birthday to Miss Mary Violet Leontyne Price.
On this day in 1974 soprano Kiri Te Kanawa made an “emergency” Met debut as Desdemona.
On this day in 1996 mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli made her Metropolitan Opera stage debut as Despina.
On this day in 1928 soprano Grace Moore made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimi.
On this day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Amneris.
On this day in 1959 soprano Leonie Rysanek made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Lady Macbeth.
On this day in 2006 tenor Jonas Kaufmann made his Metropolitan Opera debut in La traviata.
Born on this day in 1887 poet and librettist Gertrude Stein.
Happy 82nd birthday soprano Martina Arroyo.
On this day in 1893, the premiere of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut in Turin.
On this day in 1974 Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani had its first Metropolitan Opera house performance.
On this day in 1957 soprano Martha Mödl made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Brünnhilde in Siegfried.
On this day in 1781: the premiere of Mozart’s Idomeneo in Munich.
Born on this day in 1873 writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette.
On this day in 1974, Carol Channing opened in the musical Lorelei at the Palace Theatre. The show ran 320 performances.
On this day, premiere performance anniversaries!
On this day in 1958 soprano Inge Borkh made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Salome.
On this day in 1964 the American premiere of Menotti’s The Last Savage took place at the Metropolitan Opera.
