Elvira de Hidalgo

Elvira de Hidalgo (born December 27, 1892; died January 21, 1980, in Milan) was a prominent Spanish coloratura soprano, who later became a pedagogue. Her most famous pupil was Maria Callas.She was born in Valderrobres, Teruel Province (Spain), and made her debut at the age of sixteen, at Naples' Teatro San Carlo, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, which would become her best-known role. She was a pupil of Melchiorre Vidal, who also taught Maria Barrientos, Graziella Pareto, Julián Gayarre, Fernando Valero, Francesco Vignas, and Rosina Storchio.

Following her debut, de Hidalgo was quickly engaged for Paris, where she sang Rosina opposite Feodor Chaliapin as Don Basilio. Appearances in Monte-Carlo, Prague, and Cairo followed.

Her debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera occurred in 1910, as Rosina. With that company, de Hidalgo sang in Rigoletto (with Enrico Caruso) and La sonnambula (with Alessandro Bonci) in the same season. She would return to the Met in 1924-25, for Il barbiere di Siviglia (directed by Armando Agnini), Rigoletto (conducted by Tullio Serafin), and Lucia di Lammermoor (with Beniamino Gigli).

Following that New York debut, she sang in Florence, in Linda di Chamounix and Don Giovanni (as Zerlina, opposite Mattia Battistini). She also portrayed Rosina in Rome, in 1911.

In 1916, she made her debut with the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, as Rosina, which she repeated there in 1921. The following year, de Hidalgo appeared in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colón, in......
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