Ester Ferrabini (October 12, 1885 – July 28, 1984) was an Italian opera singer.

Early life

Ester Ada Maria Ferrabini was born in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, the daughter of Marcello Ferrabini, a college professor, and Lucina Pivetta Ferrabini. She studied voice with Angelina Ortolani Tiberini.Jim McPherson, "Out of the Shadows: Ester Ferrabini" '' Opera Quarterly'' 17(1)(Winter 2001): 28-42.

Career

Ferrabini had her opera debut in 1905, in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

. She toured North America with the

Ruggero Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo ( , , ; 23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera '' Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained hi ...

company in 1906, and moved to the United States in 1908. She was associated with the roles of Mimi in '' La bohème'' and the lead role in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

''. She toured the American West in 1917 with

Maggie Teyte Dame Maggie Teyte (born Margaret Tate; 17 April 188826 May 1976) was an English operatic soprano and interpreter of French art song. Early years Margaret Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England, one of ten children of Jacob James Tate, a succ ...

and Nina Morgana in the La Scala Grand Opera Company. She also sang in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

in 1917. Her last opera performance was as Carmen in 1924, in Boston, though she performed at a benefit concert for Italian war veterans in Boston in 1925. She also made at least two recordings. Ferrabini lived in Montreal for two years, while her husband was musical director of the National Opera Company of Canada. She then lived in Boston, where her husband was conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. She joined the faculty of the Boston Conservatory in 1920, when her husband became president of that institution. Arthur Fiedler, another Boston conductor, recalled Ferrabini fondly, saying "She was a very good singer, lovely voice. She was a very attractive woman, tall and majestic, good figure, not at all dumpy, domineering, but very understanding, very feminine." Architect Edgar Irving Williams wrote to his brother William Carlos Williams about seeing Ferrabini perform in 1906: "Never was I more smitten, I was all in. Talk about your concentrated blends of beauty, form, and sound. Ach Gott! She is perfection. What a head, neck, shoulders, pose, and what a voice."Letter dated October 24, 1906
''The Letters of William Carlos Williams to Edgar Irving Williams, 1902-1912'' (Associated University Presse 2009): 106.

Personal life

Ester Ferrabini married fellow musician Agide Jacchia in 1911; their daughter Elsa was born in 1912. Ferrabini returned to the opera stage within weeks of Elsa's birth, and had Elsa on stage with her in a production of ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther ...

'' in 1917. In 1928 she moved back to Italy with her husband, who died in 1932. In widowhood, Ferrabini lived with her daughter and grandchildren, at

Santa Margherita Ligure Santa Margherita Ligure ( lij, Santa Margaita) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa, in the area traditionally known as Tigullio. It has a port, used for b ...

, a village near Portofino. Ester Ferrabini died there in 1984, aged 98 years.

References

External links

A photograph of Ester Ferrabini
in the Philip Hale Photograph Collection, Boston Public Library.
Another photograph of Ester Ferrabini
in the Philip Hale Photograph Collection, Boston Public Library.
A 1911 photograph of Ester Ferrabini
in the J. Willis Sayre Photograph Collection, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrabini, Ester 1885 births 1984 deaths Musicians from Venice 20th-century Italian women opera singers Italian operatic sopranos