Bidu Sayão (May 11, 1902 - March 13, 1999) was Brazil's most famous opera singer. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about opera as an art form. ...

Bidu Sayão

She was born Balduína de Oliveira Sayão to a cultured family in Botafogo, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Her father passed away when she was five years old and her mother struggled to support her daughter's costly pursuit of a singing career. At the age of only eighteen, the gifted Bidu Sayão made her major opera debut in Rio de Janeiro. Her acclaimed performance led to an opportunity to study in Europe, first in Romania then in Nice, France with the renowned Polish tenor and tutor, Jean de Reszke. During the mid 1920s and early 1930s, she performed in Rome, Italy, Paris, France and in her native Brazil. While at the "Teatro Constanzi" in Rome she met impresario Walter Mocchi (1870-1955). After his wife, soprano Emma Carelli, passed away in 1928 the two became romantically involved and were married. However, it did not last and in 1935 Sayão married a second time to the Italian baritone, Giuseppe Danise (1883-1963). Photo: www2. ... Photo: www2. ... Botafogo is the name of a neighborhood (bairro) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ... Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... City motto: Nicæa civitas. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

In 1936 Bidu Sayão made her debut in the United States at Carnegie Hall in New York City singing a work by Debussy. Her performance was under an orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini who would become her greatest supporter and lifelong friend. In early 1937, she gave her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera as a mid-season replacement for the Spanish soprano Lucrezia Bori. The critics, including the New York Times, raved about her performance and within a few weeks she was given the lead role in La Traviata, followed soon thereafter by her first role in La Bohème. Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Manhattan, New York City. ... City nickname: The Big Apple Location in the state of New York Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg Area  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was a madman considered by many of his contemporaries — critics, fellow musicians, and the public alike — as the greatest conductor of his era. ... The Metropolitan Opera is located at Lincoln Center in New York, New York. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... La Traviata is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. ... La Bohème is an often-adapted story first appearing in Henry Murgers magazine articles in the early 1800s. ...

At a time when most would have expected her to be welcomed home in Brazil as a hero, she had a bad experience on stage that left her forever bitter. However, despite this, after her February, 1938 performance at the White House, she declined President President Franklin Roosevelt's suggestion she obtain American citizenship. As the favorite singer of Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa Lobos, she had an artistic partnership that lasted many years and made a number of recordings of his compositions. The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887 - November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer. ...

Bidu Sayão and her husband Giuseppe Danise purchased on an oceanfront property in Lincolnville, Maine. After fifteen years with the Metropolitan Opera, she gave her last performance in 1952, choosing early retirement while still at the top of her form. For the next two years she was a guest performer throughout the U.S. but in 1957 retired fully from performing in public and two years later made her final recording. Lincolnville is a town located in Waldo County, Maine. ...

Her husband passed away in 1963 and she lived a quiet life at her home in Maine. She returned to visit Brazil a final time in 1995 and died a few years later at the Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine. Cremated, her ashes were scattered across the Bay in front of her home. Rockport is a town located in Knox County, Maine. ...

Although Brazilians were always strong patrons of the opera, at the time Bidu Sayão was struggling to build her career with only limited financial means there was little in the way of government assistance for aspiring singers and that lack of support was something she spoke out about throughout her life. Following her last visit to her homeland, the government prepared plans to honor her memory and in 2000, established the Bidu Sayão International Vocal Competition to promote Brazilian operatic talent through a world-class competition.

Bidu Sayão's portrait hangs in the lobby at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.