Ebe Stignani

Ebe Stignani, born on July 11, 1903, in Naples, Italy, was an Italian operatic mezzo-soprano singer. She studied music at the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples and made her debut in 1925 as  Zephira in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier at the San Carlo opera house. In 1926, Arturo Toscanini invited her to perform at La Scala in Milan as Princess Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlos. Stignani sang major Italian mezzo-soprano roles and Wagnerian parts such as Ortrud (Lohengrin) and Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde). She performed extensively across Europe, North America, and South America. Notable appearances include her debut at Covent Garden in 1937 and collaborations with Maria Callas in Norma in 1952 and 1957. Stignani retired from the stage in 1958 after performances in London and Dublin. She passed away on October 6, 1974.