Rosemarie Brancato (October 2, 1910 – June 18, 1994) was an American coloratura soprano who had an active performance career in operas, operettas, and concerts on the American stage and on American radio from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. She created the role of Madame Boticini in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of

Fritz Kreisler Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, and regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time, he was known ...

's ''

Rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

'' in 1944.

Life and career

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brancato was the daughter of Maddalena Brancato who was an obstetrician. She trained at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

in Rochester, New York. While a student, she was a winner of the Northeastern regional level of the Atwater Kent Foundation's National Radio Audition in 1930; a national singing contest which awarded radio contracts as well as prize money. After graduating, she pursued further vocal studies with Estelle Liebling, the teacher of

Beverly Sills Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was especially renowned f ...

, in New York City. Brancato made her professional debut with the

Chicago Civic Opera The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financi ...

in 1934 as Gilda in Giuseppe Verdi's ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

''; being offered the role just a day prior after Marion Talley walked out of the production. The audience responded enthusiastically to her debut, and gave her an ovation that lasted four minutes. That same year she gave a concert of opera arias at the New York Hippodrome with the Cosmopolitan Opera Association, and began performing on WDAF radio in Kansas City. In 1936 she was signed with the Columbia Concerts Corporation who booked her in national concert tours in venues throughout the United States during the mid to late 1930s. She was heard regularly on CBS Radio in the late 1930s and 1940s. In 1944 Brancato portrayed Madame Boticini in the original

production of

's ''

'' at the

New Century Theatre The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, the theater was desig ...

. In 1946 she made her debut with the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

as Violetta in Verdi's '' La traviata''. She sang leading roles with the Detroit Civic Light Opera and the

Cincinnati Opera Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States (after the New York Metropolitan Opera). Beginning with its first season in 1920, Cincinnati Opera has produced operas ...

. In the early 1950s she starred in several operettas at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

, including the roles of Marianne Beaunoir in

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

's ''

The New Moon ''The New Moon'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg (after ''The Student Prince'' (1924) ...

'' (1950); Nina Hagerup in Robert Wright and George Forrest's ''

Song of Norway ''Song of Norway'' is an operetta written in 1944 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Edvard Grieg and the book by Milton Lazarus and Homer Curran. A very loose film adaptation with major changes to both the book ...

'' (1951); and Yum-Yum in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' (1953). In 1952 she performed the role of Sybil in

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

's '' The Firefly'' with ballerina

Patricia Bowman Patricia Bowman (December 12, 1908 – March 18, 1999) was an American ballerina, ballroom dancer, musical theatre actress, television personality, and dance teacher. Dance critic Jack Anderson described her as "the first American ballerina t ...

as her castmate at the

Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather t ...

(PCLO). In 1953 she returned to the PCLO in the title role of

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

's '' Naughty Marietta'' with tenor Brian Sullivan as her romantic interest in 1953. Brancato died of cancer at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City at the age of 83. She was married to Dr. Lester D. Rothman, and off stage was known as Rosemarie Rothman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brancato, Rosemarie 1910 births 1994 deaths American operatic sopranos Eastman School of Music alumni People from Kansas City, Missouri