Mary Curtis-Verna

Biography

Mary Virginia Curtis-Verna (May 9, 1921 – December 4, 2009) was an American operatic soprano, particularly associated with the Italian repertory. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, she studied at Abbot Academy and Hollins College. She continued her education at the Juilliard School where she studied with Hardesty Johnson. After graduating from Juilliard, at the recommendation of mezzo-soprano Martha Lipton, she began studying with Ettore Verna (whom she later married). With Verna's intervention, she made her operatic debut at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, as Desdemona, in 1949. In 1950, she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show singing "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca and "Will You Remember?" from Maytime. During her early years, she sang widely in Italy, as Maria Curtis-Verna, and made guest appearances at the Vienna State Opera and the Munich State Opera. Curtis-Verna made her American debut at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company on May 14, 1952, in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida with Ramón Vinay as Radamès, Claramae Turner as Amneris, and Giuseppe Bamboschek conducting. Later that year she appeared in the same role for her debut with the San Francisco Opera. She made her first appearance at the New York City Opera, as Donna Anna, in 1954, and also sang Aida and Tosca with the company. On August 3, 1954, she married her teacher Ettore Verna in Switzerland. In 1957, Curtis-Verna made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in Il Trovatore, singing there for 10 seasons. Her other roles at the Met included Aida, Leonora (La forza del destino), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Tosca and Turandot. She portrayed Amelia in a new production of Simon Boccanegra opposite Leonard Warren in his final complete opera appearance at the Metropolitan. She appeared as both Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and she appeared in Götterdämmerung doubling as both the Third Norn and Gutrune. During her te

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