Happy Birthday Don Giovanni
The original gay pirate is (sort of) 223 years old, since the Prague premiere of Mozart’s masterpiece took place on October 29, 1787.
happy birthday
Lady barber makes good
That archetypical Leo, Mae West, was born 117 (or so) years ago today, on August 17, 1893.
Happy birthday Deborah Voigt
The dramatic soprano (and soon to be belter!) celebrates her golden birthday today.
Happy Birthday Olga Borodina
The “phlegmatic diva” is 47 years old today.
Golden girl
A very happy birthday to Susan Graham, who is 50 years old today!
Happy Birthday Kirsten Flagstad
The Norwegian dramatic soprano, often called “the voice of the century,” was born 115 years ago today. The hard-working singer became a sensation “overnight” when, after the first act of her Met debut as Sieglinde, she was hailed by intermission commentator Geraldine Farrar as a new star.
Happy Birthday Dorothy Kirsten!
The all-American diva was born 100 years ago today!
Happy Birthday Carlos Kleiber and Brigitte Fassbänder
The legendary conductor and the protean mezzo-soprano were born on July 3, in 1930 and 1939 respectively.
Happy Birthday Jeanette MacDonald
The Ginger Galli-Curci was born June 18, 1903.
Happy Birthday Cole Porter
The tuneful Peruvian was born June 9, 1891.
Happy Birthday Shirley Verrett
The American mezzo-soprano and soprano is 79 years old today.
Happy Birthday Beverly Sills!
Belle Miriam “Bubbles” Silverman was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1929.
Happy Birthday, Richard Wagner
The Wizard of Bayrueth was born in Leipzig on May 22, 1813. La Cieca invites the cher public to celebrate Wagner’s mastery of the music drama with selections from his Werk.
Happy Birthday Birgit Nilsson
The definitive postwar dramatic soprano was born May 17, 1918.
Happy Birthday Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Don’t worry: no clips from The Music Lovers to mark the 170th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Instead, after the jump, a treat from the summer of 2009.
Happy Birthday Roberta Peters
The American coloratura soprano was born May 4, 1930.
Happy Birthday YouTube
The very first clip was uploaded to the revolutionary video-sharing site only five years ago today!
Happy Birthday Fiorenza Cossotto
The legendary mezzo-soprano is 75 today.
Happy Birthday Leopold Stokowski
The American conductor (about whom Wikipedia mildly says “There is some mystery surrounding his early life”) was born in London on April 18, 1882… or perhaps 1887. Or was it Pomerania in 1889?
Happy Birthday Catherine Malfitano
The American soprano was born April 18, 1948.
Monarch butterfly
Happiest 100th birthday greetings to the legendary Magda Olivero! In celebration, let’s enjoy a recital from December 13, 1977 in Dallas, Texas, with Ivan Davis, piano.
Happy Birthday Martha Mödl
The legendary Kunstdiva was born March 22, 1912.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).