Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Jeritza, Maria

(Encyclopedia)Jeritza, Maria yərĭtˈsə [key], 1887–1982, Austrian-American soprano. b. Brünn (now Brno). After her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at Olmütz (now Olomouc) in 1910, she was a member (1912–35) of ...

Markova, Dame Alicia

(Encyclopedia)Markova, Dame Alicia märkōˈvä [key], 1910–2004, English ballerina. Her original name was Lilian Alicia Marks. Markova joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1924 and, in 1931, the Vic-Wells Ballet...

Pears, Sir Peter

(Encyclopedia)Pears, Sir Peter, 1910–86, English tenor. Pears studied at the Royal College of Music and became a member of the Sadler's Wells Opera and the English Opera Group. In 1948 he made his Covent Garden d...

Taylor, Deems

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, Deems (Joseph Deems Taylor), 1885–1966, American composer and music critic, b. New York City, grad. New York Univ., 1906. After other journalistic posts he was music critic (1921–25) of th...

Calvé, Emma

(Encyclopedia)Calvé, Emma kälvāˈ [key], 1858–1942, French operatic soprano; pupil of Mme Marchesi. She sang in the principal opera houses of Europe and between 1893 and 1904 sang often at the Metropolitan Ope...

Reiner, Fritz

(Encyclopedia)Reiner, Fritz rīnˈər [key], 1888–1963, American conductor, b. Budapest. After serving as conductor of the People's Opera in Budapest (1911–14) and the Court Opera in Dresden (1914–21), he cam...

Noseda, Gianandrea

(Encyclopedia)Noseda, Gianandrea, 1964–, Italian conductor, b. Milan. He has been principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic (2002–11), music director of the Teatro Regio di Torino, Italy (2007–), and music ...

Russell, Lillian

(Encyclopedia)Russell, Lillian, 1861–1922, American singer and actress, b. Clinton, Iowa. Her original name was Helen Louise Leonard. She first appeared in light opera in 1879. In the early 1880s her introduction...

Milnes, Sherrill Eustace

(Encyclopedia)Milnes, Sherrill Eustace, 1935–, American operatic baritone, b. Downers Grove, Ill., stud. with Boris Goldovsky and Rosa Ponselle. Famous for his powerful yet lyrical voice and his large, seemingly ...

Te Kanawa, Dame Kiri

(Encyclopedia)Te Kanawa, Dame Kiri tā käˈnəwə [key], 1944–, New Zealand opera and concert singer. From the early 1970s until her last public performance (2016), she was one of the most acclaimed and popular ...

Browse by Subject