Julia V. Grilli
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Julia Veronica Grilli (March 14, 1893December 6, 1991), also seen as Giulia Grilli, was an American lawyer and concert singer.


Early life

Julia Veronica Grilli was born in New York, the daughter of Nicola Grilli and Rosina (Rose) Trippitelli Grilli. Her parents were immigrants from Sulmona in
Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
. Her father was a columnist in Italian-language newspapers. She graduated from
Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...
in 1914. She trained as a singer in New York, with Alfredo Martino and Albert Wolff.


Career


Law

Grilli passed the New York bar examination in 1914, and opened her own practice as a trial lawyer in the
Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
district. She was a suffragist, and advocated jury service for women. She served as legal counsel for the
Italian Welfare League The Italian Welfare League is an American charitable organization founded in 1920 and incorporated in 1922 by Italian-American women. Its original purpose was to assist Italian veterans of World War I, and later, needy Italian residents of New York ...
and the Italian Hospital. She was one of the founders of the Brooklyn Women Lawyers Association. In 1921, she was promoted by the Women's Democratic Club as a candidate for judge.


Music

Grilli, a
mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
or
contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
, and became familiar to New York audiences 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 ...
, when she sang at concerts to benefit causes in the Italian-American community. She gave a professional recital in New York's Aeolian Hall in 1921, accompanied by Albert Wolff. Commenting on coverage of her as a lawyer turned singer, she exclaimed, "I have never been able to discover... whether it is considered strange that a singer should be a lawyer, or that a lawyer should sing!" She was active in the Italian Music League.


Personal life

In 1928, Grilli married Romolo Angelone (1897–1991), who was also from Sulmona, and worked at the Italian embassy. The Italian ambassador to the United States served as best man at their wedding. She had a son, Luigi Paolo (Louis), and a daughter, Elisabeth. Romolo Angelone became Italy's commercial attaché in Shanghai and Tokyo during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Julia Grilli Angelone died in
West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...
, in 1991, aged 98 years.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grilli, Julia V. 1893 births 1991 deaths Singers from Brooklyn American people of Italian descent American women singers 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New York City Brooklyn Law School alumni American mezzo-sopranos 20th-century American women