Anna de Belocca (4 January 1854 – unknown ), was a Russian-born operatic contralto

Contralto

Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...

.

Biography

She was born in St.Petersburg, where her father was an Imperial Russian Councilor of State. After studying in St. Petersburg with Henriette Nissen-Saloman

Henriette Nissen-Saloman

Henriette Nissen-Saloman, , was a Swedish opera singer and singing pedagogue.Henriette was born in Gothenburg, where she was a student of organist Georg Günther before she went to Paris in 1838, where she learned singing from Manuel Garcia and piano from Frédéric Chopin...

 and in Paris with Nicolas Lablache and Maurice Strakosch, she made her stage debut in Paris at the Théâtre Italien

Comédie-Italienne

Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...

 as Rosina The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...

. She also appeared there in the title role of La Cenerentola

La Cenerentola

La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...

and as Arsace in Semiramide

Semiramide

Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...

. She appeared in various cities in Europe, including London, where she made her debut with Mapleson

James Henry Mapleson

James Henry Mapleson was an English opera impresario, probably the leading figure instrumental in the development of opera production, and of the careers of singers, in London and New York City in the second half of the 19th century.-Life and career:Mapleson was born in London, England...

's company. She then became a member of the Strakosch Opera Company with whom she made her American debut on 17 April 1876 as Rosina at New York's Academy of Music

Academy of Music (Manhattan)

The Academy of Music was a New York City opera house, located at East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan. The 4,000-seat hall opened on October 2, 1854. The New York Times review declared it to be an acoustical "triumph", but "In every other aspect .....

. She also appeared in concerts in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. With the Mapleson company, she continued to sing leading roles in New York and Philadelphia through the 1880s.

External links

• Portrait and brief biography on www.picturehistory.com