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MARIA CALLAS MOST INFLUENTIAL FEMALE OPERA SINGER OF THE 20^TH CENTURY

FULL NAME: Anna Maria Sofia Cecelia Kalos

BORN: DECEMBER 2, 1923, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A.

DIED: SEPTEMBER 16, 1977, PARIS, FRANCE

NATIONALITY: GREEK-AMERICAN

A Greek postage stamp, circa 1997, honors the great diva

LA DIVINA

Think “Diva” and you most likely picture a modern-day celebrity strutting her stuff on stage. But the original diva was actually an opera singer, born almost 100 years ago. Maria Callas was a Greek-American soprano singer, nicknamed “La Divina” (the Divine) and “The Tigress.” Maria was one of the most important opera singers of the 20th century. Her vocal range was huge, and her performances were incredibly dramatic, whether in traditional operas or musical dramas.

AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER

Maria was born in New York, but her parents were Greek and moved to the U.S.A. when Maria’s mother was pregnant with her. When Maria was a young teenager, she moved back to Greece again. Maria’s Greek heritage remained important to her throughout her life. From the age of three, Maria’s singing talent was obvious. Her mother often made her sing, and Maria did not enjoy singing to begin with. But by her teenage years, Maria was receiving proper voice training. She took it very seriously and began to “devour” anything musical. Her stage debut was in 1939 in a school production. In 1941, she had a professional debut with the Royal Opera of Athens. Only a year later, Maria had the lead role in the famous opera Tosca. From Greece, she spent her time between the U.S.A. and Italy, with successful debuts in both countries. Her American debut, in 1956, gave her the opportunity to sing with the Metropolitan Opera in her original home city of New York. Maria’s life was often caught up in scandal, which heightened her “diva-esque” persona. She continued to sing all over the world, and her performances wowed critics and audiences alike. Her voice was well loved, but it was her stage presence and personality that truly created an incredible all-around performer.

Maria performed the role of Violetta in La Traviata, in 1958. Photograph by Houston Rogers

Maria Callas continues to rank as one of the highest-selling classical vocalists of all time, and her performances helped popularize opera as an art form. She is famous across the globe and considered to be one of the greats of modern opera. Sadly, Maria died of a heart attack at only 53, but her mighty influence lives on.