Bio Full Biography »

Amelita Galli-Curci was one of the first female operatic stars of the phonograph. Compton Mackenzie, the founder of The Gramophon magazine said he could accept old age if he had as many records of Galli-Curci as of Caruso. Her background was Italian and Spanish. Born Amelita Galli, she was a piano student in a well-to do musical household. The well-known opera composer Mascagni visited her parents and on hearing her play and sing recommended that she become a singer. After that, Amelita diligently taught herself. She made her debut in 1906 as Gilda in Rigoletto, which remained a favorite role, and she took about ten years - a pretty typical amount of time - to become a star. She married the Marchese di Sineri and added his family name of Curci to her own. On her birthday in 1916 she scored a major triumph in Chicago that made her an international star. She had a fluid, clear, very beautiful voice and a great gift for sustaining lyric lines. She was at her best in roles calling for gr...