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DIMITRIE ONOFREI (IAȘI, 6 AUGUST 1897 – BETHLEHEM,
PENNSYLVANIA 20 MARCH 1991)
During World War I, he served
as a soldier in the Romanian army. After the war, he studied singing in Milan
under Maestro Collenz-Muro and made his debut in 1921 at the Royal Opera House
of Malta as the Duke in Rigoletto. In 1922, he performed in Palermo, Venice,
Florence, and Turin, and in 1923, he traveled to North America. He joined the
San Carlo Opera Company and made his New York debut in 1923 as Rodolfo in La
Bohème. In 1924, he married the prima donna of the troupe, soprano Bianca
Saroya (1893-1981).
In 1926, he toured the United
States with a company organized by the Japanese soprano Tamaki Miura and also
performed at the Havana Opera. In 1927, he sang alongside his wife at the
Bucharest Opera in the presence of Queen Maria of Romania. He later made a
guest appearance in Italy, but had to cancel a performance at La Scala in Milan
due to illness. After further studies with Manlio Bavagnoli, he achieved great
success in 1928 in Monte Carlo with La Traviata.
From 1929 to 1931, he taught
at Georgia University in the United States, where he also directed operas in
English. In the 1930-1931 season, he toured South and Central America with the
Braccala Company and sang with great success at the Philadelphia Opera during
the 1931-1932 season. In 1934, he debuted at the Chicago Opera, performing as
Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Faust, and Lohengrin. From 1933 to 1937, he
participated in the opera festival held at the Zoological Gardens.
In the 1940-1941 season, he
toured once more with the San Carlo Opera before retiring from the stage due to
illness. From 1945 to 1950, he taught at the Cincinnati Conservatory, and later
in New York, Chicago, and finally San Francisco. Among his students were
notable tenors Rolf Björling and John Alexander.
TRACKLIST
Odeon, Berlin 1928
Cavalleria Rusticana
(Mascagni) Addio alla madre 127002 xxJo2020
Cavalleria Rusticana
(Mascagni) O Lola RA199902B Jo1472
Cavalleria Rusticana
(Mascagni) Viva il vino 199903
Faust (Gounod) Salve dimora
127000
Gioconda (Ponchielli) Cielo e
mar 127003
Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet)
Je crois 127001
Lucia di Lammermoor
(Donizetti) Tu che a dio 127000
Manon (Massenet) Il sogno
199903
Martha (Flotow) M’appari
RA199902a Jo1460
Mefistofele (Boito) Giunto sul
passo 127003
Mignon (Thomas) Ah non credevi
tu 127001
Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna e
mobile 199901
Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le
stelle 199901
Tosca (Puccini) O dolci mani 199906
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