Identifier: grandoperasinger02lahe (find matches)
Title: The grand opera singers of to-day : an account of the leading operatic stars who have sung during recent years, together with a sketch of the chief operatic enterprises
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Lahee, Henry Charles, 1856-1953
Subjects: Singers Opera
Publisher: Boston : L. C. Page
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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tage. She and her sister Carmela had appeared ina vaudeville house under rather unusual cir-cumstances. They had no suitable clothes forthe stage, and persuaded the manager to letthem appear in ordinary street clothes. He letthem try it, with much trepidation, for one eve-ning. After that they were advertised in elec-tric signs over the theatre door. Notwithstanding the allurements of vaude-ville, William Thorner, her teacher, persuadedRosa to continue her studies till she was readyfor an operatic career, and before long a hear-ing was obtained. At that time Rosa Ponsellewas twenty-one years old. She has the heri-tage of Italian beauty, and a liquid sopranovoice. Since her debut Miss Ponselle has takenleading parts, and has been gaining in stageexperience and artistry. She is yet at the be-ginning of her career. She sang twelve rolesin her first four seasons. At the same performance of La Forza delDestino, Alice Gentle made her Metropolitandebut. Born in Peoria, 111., Miss Gentle went
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CHARLES HACKETT AS COUNT ALMAVIDA The Metropolitan Opera Company 489 to Seattle and was there a church singer. Shewent to New York and entered Hammer steinschorus. After some study in Milan she was en-gaged for La Scala. Then she returned to NewYork and made her debut with the MetropolitanCompany. Since that time she has been inseveral of the travelling companies. She is, inprivate life, Mrs. Jacob R. Proebstel. Charles Hackett, who made his American op-eratic debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in1918, comes from Worcester, Mass. He studiedsinging in Boston with Arthur J. Hubbard, and,during his student days, was in business and atthe same time sang in churches and filled con-cert engagements. He was tenor soloist at theArlington Street church before he went abroadin 1913 to study repertoire and coach for operain Italy. He made his operatic debut at Parma,Italy, in Boitos Mefistofele, and then ap-peared in Venice and other places, gaining ex-perience until at Christmas, 1916, he sc

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