Bidu Sayão (May 11, 1902 - March 13, 1999) was Brazil's most famous opera singer and one of the greatest stars of the Metropolitan Opera for fifteen years (1937-1952). May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1902 (MCMII) 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 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a [[leap year starting on Tueday] (link will take you to calendar). ...

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, Buenos Aires, 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, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Cristo Redentor, the famous Christ the Redeemer statue at the top of the Corcovado mountain A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... City motto: Nicæa civitas. ... Jean de Reszke, born Jan Mieczyslaw, (14 January 1850 - 3 April 1925) was a Polish operatic tenor born in Warsaw. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2. ... Buenos Aires (Good Airs in Spanish, originally meaning Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in Latin America. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

In 1930, she debuted at the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, and in the next year she sang a successful Juliette, in Gounod's Roméo e Juliette, at the Paris Opera. In the same year, she gained a great success with her debut at tbe Opéra Comique as Lakmé. Since then, she became one of the leading lyric coloratura sopranos in Europe, especially in Italy and France. Her repertoire included Lucia di Lammermoor, Amina in La Sonnambula, Elvira in I Puritani, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Cecilia in Il Guarany, among other roles. La Scala The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala for short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the worlds most famous opera houses. ... Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese dialect: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. ... Categories: Stub | 1818 births | 1893 deaths | Opera composers | Romantic composers | French musicians ... Exterior of the Palais Garnier. ... Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille, based on the novel Rarahu ou Le Mariage de Loti by Pierre Loti. ... Lucia di Lammermoor is an opera in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. ... La Sonnambula is an opera by Vincenzo Bellini. ... I Puritani is an opera in three acts, by Vincenzo Bellini. ... Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne on Naxos) is an opera by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. ... Il Guarany is an italian opera by Carlos Gomes, based on the brazilian novel O Guarani, written by José de Alencar. ...

A star at the Metropolitan Opera

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 sang her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera as Manon, replacing 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. She contributed a lot to the Mozart revival at the Metropolitan Opera and was the leading Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro of her generation. Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in New York City. ... The Empire State Building (right) and the Chrysler Building (left) are easily recognized symbols of New York City to the world. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ... Arturo Toscanini was featured on the cover of Time magazine on April 26, 1948 Arturo Toscanini (March 25, 1867 – January 16, 1957) was considered by many of his contemporaries — critics, fellow musicians, and the public alike — as the greatest conductor of his era. ... A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ... Manon is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. ... Lucrezia Bori (1887 - 1960) was a celebrated Spanish soprano opera singer. ... 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, an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, takes as its basis the novel La dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, published in 1848. ... La Bohème, French for The Bohemians, is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on La Vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. ... Zerlina is a major role in the opera Don Giovanni composed by Mozart. ... Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... Le Nozze di Figaro, is a comic opera composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Beaumarchais. ...

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, including her famous recording of the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ... 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. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a [[leap year starting on Tueday] (link will take you to calendar). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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, for a tribute to her during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, 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. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Official language(s) None Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 39th 86,542 km² 305 km 515 km 13. ... Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany A carnival is a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. ... Ipanema beach, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Cristo Redentor, the famous Christ the Redeemer statue at the top of the Corcovado mountain A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in... 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. The Bidu Sayão International Vocal Competition is a singing competition held at a diffent locale each year in Brazil named after that countrys most famous opera singer, Bidu Sayão. ...

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