Born Renée Doria Cutzach on February 12, 1921 in Perpignan, France, Renée Doria was an opera singer, considered one of the great post-war singers and the leading lyric coloratura sopranos of her era. She specialized in operas and operettas by Gounod, Offenbach, Massenet, Bizet, Delibes, Lehàr, Rossini, Puccini, Donizetti and Verdi. She completed studies in piano, solfege (music theory), and harmony before turning to vocal training under Umberto Valdarmini. Renée Doria, who had a coloratura soprano range, made her live debut at the age of 18 in 1942, appearing in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Opéra de Marseille. Two years later, she performed Delibes’ Lakmé at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. She made her debut at the Paris Opera in 1947 portraying the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Renée Doria made her recording debut in 1948, releasing many 78rpm singles and albums on a variety of labels. Her releases featured operas, numerous operettas and recitals of melodies by Fauré, Debussy or Ravel. Some of the finest recordings of her career were compiled on the double disc set L’art de Renée Doria (2014) and other compilations. After 76 roles on stage and 125 performances for radio, she retired in 1981. Thirty years later, she scheduled a live recital to perform in celebration of her 100th birthday. However, the performance was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Renée Doria died on March 6, 2021, just 20 days after her birthday.
