Marcella Sembrich
Operatic Soprano
1858 – 1935 A.D.

Marcella Sembrich, an operatic soprano, born in a small Polish town in Galicia. Her real name was Kadanska, and her father, from whom she received her first instruction, was a teacher of the violin and piano. At a very early age she was a talented performer on both instruments, long before it was discovered that she was the possessor of a voice.

She began her operatic career in 1877, and soon became one of the most popular sopranos of Europe. Later she visited the United States and for a number of years was one of the favorite artists at the Metropolitan Opera House, where her Rosina in The Barber of Seville was especially admired.

Her voice is of great limpid purity, very brilliant in the upper register, and she possessed remarkable coloratura facility.

During the World War in 1914 – 1918, Mme. Sembrich devoted herself to the cause of Poland and the Allies, and rendered valuable service.

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Reference: Famous Women; An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women By Joseph Adelman. Copyright, 1926 by Ellis M. Lonow Company.