Božena Kacerovská (4 August 1880 – 7 February 1970) was a Czech opera singer and music educator, based in Paris after 1906.

Early life

Božena Kacerovská was born at

Louny Louny (; german: Laun) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic) ...

, the daughter of a barber, Jan Kacerovský, and his wife, Anne Zunkovska. She studied music in Prague under Eduard Tregler and

Karel Kovařovic Karel Kovařovic (Prague, 9 December 1862 Prague, 6 December 1920) was a Czech composer and conductor. Life From 1873 to 1879 he studied clarinet, harp and piano at the Prague Conservatory.''Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském, p. 484'' He ...

, and later in Paris under

Mathilde Marchesi Mathilde Marchesi (née Graumann; 24 March 1821 – 17 November 1913) was a German mezzo-soprano, a singing teacher, and a proponent of the bel canto vocal method. Biography Marchesi was born in Frankfurt. Her father's last name was Graumann; ...

and

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

.David Hertl
"Operní zpěvačka Božena Kacerovská"
''Sever'' (August 4, 2012).Pavel R. Vejrážka, "AŽ ZEMŘU, PŘEJI SI, ABY MÉ SRDCE BYLO PROBODENO!" ''Lounský Kraj Regiz'' (February 1997). She also studied acting with Josef Šmaha.

Career

Kacerovská played

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

with the National Theatre Opera in Prague in 1901. She also sang with the New German Opera in Prague. In 1906 she moved to Paris. She sang at the Wagner festivals in

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and performed with the comic opera in London, Antwerp, and Madrid. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she performed in benefit concerts for the

French Red Cross The French Red Cross (french: Croix-Rouge française), or the CRF, is the national Red Cross Society in France founded in 1864 and originally known as the ''Société française de secours aux blessés militaires'' (SSBM). Recognized as a public u ...

and other war relief causes. In 1924 Kacerovská moved back to Prague, where she opened a singing school. In 1947 she moved back to her hometown, Louny, to live with her brother Karel. She taught singing there too, and gradually sold off her jewelry to support herself in her later days of poor health.

Personal life

Kacerovská had a romantic relationship with brewer Otakar Zachar in Prague; the end of their relationship may have spurred her move to Paris. She died in Louny in 1970, aged 89 years. Her papers are in the state district archive at Louny.Státní okresní archiv Louny, Kacerovská Božena
Badatelna.eu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kacerovska, Bozena 1880 births 1970 deaths Czech operatic sopranos Czech women in World War I People from Louny 20th-century Czech women opera singers