Jenny Dufau
Encyclopedia
Jenny Dufau was a French opera singer who found her success in Chicago.
Dufau was born on 18 July 1878 in Rothau
, Alsace-Lorraine
. She began her career with the Chicago Grand Opera Company
in 1911 after studying opera in Berlin under Etelka Gerster
. In Chicago, Dufau was a lead soprano, nicknamed the "smallest soprano". She performed in operas such as Die Walküre
, The Barber of Seville
, and I gioielli della Madonna
. In 1914, she sang the title role in Massenet's Manon
for the Boston Opera Company
. In 1916, Dufau shifted her focus to singing concerts nation-wide, notably at the Ravinia Festival, Hamilton Park (Chicago), and Symphony Hall, Boston
. The American composer Frank La Forge
wrote songs for her which she performed at these concerts.
Dufau also participated in a burgeoning art form called "Cinema Concerts", in which she sang with silent films. In 1916, she performed with the film The Law Decides. Dufau returned to Europe following the end of World War I and died on 29 August 1924 in Pau, France.
Dufau was born on 18 July 1878 in Rothau
Rothau
Rothau is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
, Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
. She began her career with the Chicago Grand Opera Company
Chicago Grand Opera Company
Two grand opera companies in Chicago have gone by the name Chicago Grand Opera CompanyThe first Chicago Grand Opera Company produced four seasons of opera in Chicago’s Auditorium Theater from the Fall of 1910 through November 1915. It was the first resident Chicago opera company...
in 1911 after studying opera in Berlin under Etelka Gerster
Etelka Gerster
Etelka Gerster was a Hungarian soprano. She debuted in Italy in 1876 and sang in London the following year.In 1878 she was performing in the Academy of Music in New York City where she was considered one of the leading singers of her time...
. In Chicago, Dufau was a lead soprano, nicknamed the "smallest soprano". She performed in operas such as Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
, 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...
, and I gioielli della Madonna
I gioielli della Madonna
I gioielli della Madonna is an opera in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to an Italian libretto by Carlo Zangarini and Enrico Golisciani, based on news accounts of a real event....
. In 1914, she sang the title role in Massenet's Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
for the Boston Opera Company
Boston Opera Company
The Boston Opera Company was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active from 1909 to 1915.-History:The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russell...
. In 1916, Dufau shifted her focus to singing concerts nation-wide, notably at the Ravinia Festival, Hamilton Park (Chicago), and Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...
. The American composer Frank La Forge
Frank La Forge
Frank La Forge was an American pianist and composer and arranger of art songs.-Life and musical career:...
wrote songs for her which she performed at these concerts.
Dufau also participated in a burgeoning art form called "Cinema Concerts", in which she sang with silent films. In 1916, she performed with the film The Law Decides. Dufau returned to Europe following the end of World War I and died on 29 August 1924 in Pau, France.