Maria Callas

Maria Callas (real name Kalogeropoulos) was born in New York in 1923. Her parents were Greek immigrants. As a child, Callas developed her musical talent by listening to recordings and radio programs. Piano and singing lessons followed later on. At the age of fourteen, she returned to Greece with her mother, where she continued her singing studies at the conservatory. After the war, the young soprano tried to build a career in America, but there was a lot of competition. Fortunately, Callas was offered to perform in the arena of Verona, Italy. There she met her future husband Meneghini and her mentor Tullio Serafin, who stimulated her to sing roles from the virtually forgotten belcanto repertoire, to great acclaim. Callas lost roughly 30 kilos and became a world famous star. The merciless Italian press reported extensively on her divorce and the affair with Onassis, which would drastically change her life. Callas neglected her career for the rich Greek shipping tycoon, subsequently to be put aside for Jacqueline Kennedy. Callas did not manage to take up her career, also because her voice lost its quality. She died of a heart attack in 1977, alone in her apartment. Callas has had an enormous influence on the next generations of singers. Her extraordinary qualities as an actress and her emotional singing that pushed her voice to the limit are by many considered as unequalled. Her recordings of Lucia Di Lammermoor, Norma, La Sonnambula, La Gioconda and Tosca are legendary.
  (Source: Muziekweb.nl)