Elen Dosia (1915 – 10 May 2002), born Hélène Odette Zygomala, sometimes known as Ellen Dosia, was a French opera singer of Greek origin. Dosia was born in Istanbul, then in the Ottoman Empire. She became a soprano singer, and enjoyed her first major success at age 20 with the title part in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

''. She quickly became one of the most popular singers at

Opéra Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

and

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

, where she performed from 1935 through 1952. Before World War II she was described as "the most popular singer in the world". She appeared often in

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther'' ...

operas, performing in ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

'' and ''

Thaïs Thaïs or Thais ( el, Θαΐς; flourished 4th century BC) was a famous Greek ''hetaira'' who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for instigating the burning of Persepolis. At the time, Thaï ...

'', and appearing at the June 1942 Massenet Gala singing the title role in a

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled ''Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * ''Tableau viv ...

of ''

Esclarmonde ''Esclarmonde'' () is an opéra (french: opéra romanesque) in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont. It was first performed at the Expos ...

''. In 1951 she appeared in the documentary ''Of Men and Music'', singing excerpts from Salome's part in ''

Hérodiade ''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels o ...

''. On 15 November 1947 Dosia debuted at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

as Tosca to

Jan Peerce Jan Peerce (born Yehoshua Pinkhes Perelmuth; June 3, 1904 December 15, 1984) was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway theatre, Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recordi ...

's Cavaradossi and

Frank Valentino Francesco Valentino (1907 – June 14, 1991) was an American operatic baritone. He is perhaps best remembered for his performances under Arturo Toscanini. Life and career Born Francis Valentine Dinhaupt in New York in 1907, Valentino and his fami ...

's Scarpia with Giuseppe Antonicelli conducting. Her performance was relatively poorly received; reviews were critical, and after only five performances (in both ''Tosca'' and ''Manon'', and as Mélisande in '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' the following season), she retired from the stage in 1952. Thereafter Dosia concentrated on her family life.

Recordings

* ''Thaïs'' (Malibran Music, Gressier, Paris 1944) ''Thaïs'' with Elen Dosia at amazon.com
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References

External links

* French operatic sopranos 1915 births 2002 deaths French people of Greek descent 20th-century French women opera singers Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to France {{France-opera-singer-stub