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.
Happy 78th (or so) birthday tenor/baritone/conductor Plácido Domingo.
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Born on this day in 1865 cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque Yvette Guilbert.
On this day in 1984 bass Samuel Ramey made his Metroplitan Opera debut in Handel’s Rinaldo.
On this day in 1907 the Metropolian Opera premiered Puccini’s Manon Lescaut with the composer in attendance.
On this day in 1960 tenor Jon Vickers made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Canio.
Happy 85th birthday mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.
On this day in 1958 Samuel Barber‘s Vanessa had its world premiere at the Met.
On this day in 1900 Puccini’s Tosca premiered in Rome.
Happy 83rd birthday baritone Renato Bruson.
On this day in 1912 Pietro Mascagni’s Lodoletta had its United States premiere at the Metropolitan.
On this day in 1934 soprano Lotte Lehmann made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sieglinde.
Happy 84th birthday baritone Sherrill Milnes.
Born on this day in 1902 impresario and opera manager Rudolf Bing.
Born on this day in 1926 soprano Evelyn Lear.
On this day in 1955 contralto Marian Anderson made her historic Metropolitan Opera debut.
Born on this day in 1412 heroine of France, martyr and saint Jeanne d’Arc.
On this day in 1977 soprano Edita Gruberova made her Met debut as the Queen of the Night.
Happy 82nd birthday soprano/mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry.
On this day in 1956 the Metropolitan Opera celebrated the 25th anniversary of the debut of soprano Lily Pons with a special gala performance.
On this day in 1969 opened one of the most notorious flops of the 1960s, The Fig Leaves Are Falling, which opened at the Broadhurst Theatre to run only four performances.
On this day in 1908 composer Gustav Mahler made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.
On this day in 2009 Yannick Nézet-Séguin made his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting Carmen.
On this day in 1954 the Harold Arlen–Truman Capote musical House of Flowers opened at the Alvine Theatre to run 165 performances.
On this day in 1962, the Met offered its premiere of Ariadne auf Naxos.
