Nina Dimitrieff (born 1880s – died after 1952), also seen as Nina Dmitrieff and later as Nina Massell, was a Russian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

singer, active in the United States after 1910.

Early life

Nina Dmitrieff self-reported as being born in Saint Petersburg in August 1881 or 1882, to Pheophan Dimitrieff and Baroness Alexandria Von Russell."New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938"
database, ''FamilySearch'' (22 August 2022), Jacob Massell and Nina Dimitrieff, 1910."United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925,"
database with images, ''FamilySearch'' (16 March 2018), Nina Mussell, 1913; citing Passport Application, New York, United States, source certificate #13273, Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925, 634, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). She was described in publicity as "daughter of the famous Russian general Pheophan Dimitrieff", and educated at Smolny Convent in Saint Petersburg, where she was a schoolmate of Elena of Montenegro."Music News of the Week"
''Pittsburgh Press'' (November 19, 1911): 16. via Newspapers.com

Career

Dimitrieff made her American debut as Margarita in '' The Damnation of Faust'' at the 1910 Worcester Music Festival. In that same year, the ''New York Times'' opined that "Her voice is not notable for fine quality, being, in fact, somewhat hard and unyielding; nor is she equally successful in many different styles of songs." In 1911, she sang in California with other Russian musicians, and sang at concert conducted by Leopold Stokowski, and sang at a fundraiser for tuberculosis prevention in Pittsburgh. In 1913 Dimitrieff sang at "Verdi Night" at the May Festival of the Albany Musical Association, and gave a joint recital with Russian cellist Vladimir Dubinsky at New York's Aeolian Hall. She returned to Aeolian Hall with a recital of Russian traditional songs in 1916, at which she also wore Russian costumes and gave a lecture on the history of Russian church music and folksongs. Also in 1916, she and other Russian artists including

Mischa Levitzki Mischa Levitzki (also spelled Levitski; uk, Міша Левицький (); May 25, 1898 – January 2, 1941) was a Russian-born U.S.-based concert pianist. Levitzki was born in Kremenchuk, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), to ...

, Anna Pavlova, and a balalaika orchestra performed at a benefit in Connecticut, for Russian prisoners of war. Dimitrieff made several recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1916. Later in life, she taught voice classes, and accompanied other concert performers on piano.

Personal life

Nina Dimitrieff married Jacob (James) Massell, a voice teacher and writer, in New York in June 1910. They continued living in New York through at least 1920. She was widowed when he died in 1948 in The Bronx."Deaths" ''New York Times'' (December 2, 1948): 29. via ProQuest She was still alive to renew the copyright on her husband's book, ''To Sing or Not to Sing'', in 1953.

References

External links

Nina Dimitrieff audio recordings at the National Jukebox
Library of Congress.
Nina Dimitrieff recordings at Internet Archive.
{{authority control Russian sopranos Singers from Saint Petersburg 20th-century Russian women singers 20th-century Russian opera singers Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown 1880s births Russian emigrants to the United States Russian-American culture in New York City