Lillian Nordica, 1877
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Nordica Memorial Association
Giglio Nordica (1857-1914), born Lillian Norton in Farmington, was the most glamorous American opera singer in history, and the first to attain true international prominence.
Her voice and excellent vocal training fit into the upsurge of popularity of the Wagnerian music dramas.
Nordica's career paralleled the rise of the United States' prestige and power throughout the world.
Her creation of the role of Elsa for Cosima Wagner's first production of Lohengrin at Bayreuth in 1894 was perhaps the high-water mark in the three decades known as the Golden Age of Opera.
At the "Met" in New York, she was a towering figure among such giants as Melba, Patti, Lehmann, Caruso, and the de Reszke brothers.
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