The Untrained Singer Who Became America’s First Prima Donna

The Untrained Singer Who Became America’s First Prima Donna
Ponselle rehearses with composer Romano Romani, 1921. Library of Congress
Stephen Oles
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The year was 1918. Enrico Caruso, the Metropolitan Opera’s biggest star, had chosen a newcomer to be his leading lady. Her name was Rosa Ponselle, she’d just turned 21, and her debut sent critics scurrying for adjectives. She “made a sensational impression and was sensationally received.” She showed “incomparable charm and dramatic ability.” Her voice was “rich, sensuous, … capable of all the lights and shades of operatic expression.”

Who was this musical marvel? Most of the Met’s singers were foreign-born, and all had learned their art and musicianship in Europe. Few in that opening night audience knew that Rosa had never been to Europe. She’d also never performed in an opera house or had much vocal training. Only a few years earlier, in fact, she’d sung popular songs in a movie theater for $25 a week.

Reluctant Genius

Rosa Ponzillo was born in 1897 to Italian immigrant parents in Meriden, Connecticut. Her father was a tradesman and her mother ran a bakery. Her older sister Carmela dreamed of becoming “a great singing actress,” so at age 21 she moved to Manhattan to study voice and make connections. Rosa had no such ambition, but she loved to play piano and sing and was known in school for her excellent sight-reading.
Stephen Oles
Stephen Oles
Author
Stephen Oles has worked as an inner city school teacher, a writer, actor, singer, and a playwright. His plays have been performed in London, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California. He lives in Seattle and is currently working on his second novel.
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