Marcella Craft (Soprano) (Indianapolis, Indiana 1874 – Riverside, California 1959)

                                                                   Violetta

First she studied singing under Charles R. Adams, then in Milan with Francesco Mattino and Alessandro Guagni, later in Munich. She made her debut in the Italian province and was engaged in 1905 by the  Stadttheater in Elberfeld. In the 1905-1907 seasons she sang at the Stadttheater in Mainz, from 1907-1909 at the Stadttheater in Kiel, in the 1909-1914 at the Hofoper in München. Here she had in 1910 a special success in ‘’Salome’’ of Richard Strauss under the management of the composer. She made guest appearances in Berlin, Schwerin, Frankfurt a. M. and Hannover. In 1907 she performed at the Covent Garden in London as an Agathe in ‘’Freischütz’’. In 1914 she stayed in Paris, when the First World War broke out. She returned to America, where she primarily at the concert hall. Then in the 1917-1918 season she was engaged again by the San Carlo Opera Company in the USA. In 1921 she made guest appearances in Pittsburgh and Cleveland as Nedda in ‘’Pagliacci’’ and as Gilda in ‘’Rigoletto’’. Her repertoire included Cio-Cio-San, Mimi in ‘’Bohème’’, Aida, Leonora in ‘’Trovatore’’, Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’ and Elvira in ‘’La Muette de Portici’’. In 1922 and in 1927 she sang again in Germany as a concert singer (among other things in Cologne, Hamburg and Leipzig). She was active temporarily as director and leader of the Riverside Opera in California. Since 1930 she worked as vocal pedagogue in California.

Chronology of some appearances

1905 Elberfeld Stadttheater
1905-1907 Mainz Stadttheater
1907-1909 Kiel Stadttheater
1907 London Covent Garden
1909-1914 München Hofoper
1921 Pittsburgh Opera
1921 Cleveland Opera

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Edison, NYC 1918. 06. 05/7 
Traviata (Verdi): Addio del passato Unpubl.  6203-C