Nellie Melba
Australian Operatic Soprano
1861 – 1931 A.D.

Nellie Melba, an Australian operatic soprano. Her family name was Mitchell, Melba being an adaptation of Melbourne, her native city. After studying with Marchesi in Paris she appeared as Gilda in Rigaletto at Brussels in 1887, and soon became known and admired in the large cities in Europe as an unsurpassed coloratura singer, with a voice of exceptional purity and beauty, though without great dramatic ability.

Madame Melba has been a favorite in the United States since her first visit in 1893. In the seasons of 1916 – 1918 she was a member of the Chicago Opera Company.

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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.