Santa Biondo (December 3, 1892,

San Mauro Castelverde San Mauro Castelverde ( Sicilian: ''Santu Màuru'') is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily, southern Italy. San Mauro Castelverde had an estimated population of 1,634. Notable persons from San Mauro Castelverde include Sa ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

– February 15, 1989,

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

) was an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

star whose career spanned from 1927 to 1938.

Early life and career

Santa Biondo was born on December 3, 1892 on Via Serra,

, Sicily."Atti di Nascita", Ufficio dello Stato Civile, San Mauro Castelverde, Palermo. 1892. Record 194. She immigrated to 106 Wallace Street, New Haven, Connecticut with her father Mauro, her mother Giuseppa, her sister Angela, and her brother Mauro Jr. on October 2, 1907 They were received by Santa's older brother, Domenico Biondo, who was already living at Wallace Street at that time.Ellis Island ship passenger manifest for Santa Biondo and family, 1907. Three years later, in 1910, the United States Census shows the family living in New Haven at the same address. The census indicates that Biondo was 18 years old and working in a tailor's shop.United States Population Census, 1910, New Haven, Connecticut. By 1920, the family had moved to Saint John Street in New Haven, and Santa Biondo was married to her first husband, Salvatore Mazullo.United States Population Census, 1920, New Haven, Connecticut. Mazullo was the proprietor of a tailor shop, perhaps the same one where Santa Biondo worked before. However, Biondo's destiny was in music. Encouraged by her brother in-law, Biondo was tutored by professional opera teachers in New Haven and New York, including Enrico Rosati, whose other famous students include

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer (lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a shoem ...

and

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

. Biondo began her professional career in 1927, when she went on tour with the

San Carlo Opera Company The San Carlo Opera Company was the name of two different opera companies active in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Russell's San Carlo Opera The first company was founded by impresario Henry Russell, initi ...

and the

American Opera Company The American Opera Company was the name of four different opera companies active in the United States. The first company was a short-lived opera company founded in New York City in February, 1886 that lasted only one season. The second company grew ...

Metropolitan Opera Company

Santa Biondo appears in a newspaper story printed in the May 12, 1929 edition of ''

The Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'', where she is stated to have been preparing for her debut with 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 ...

Company ("Met") in New York City after separate auditions with

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

and the Met staff.Older, Julia S. "Connecticut Gives Opera a New Star. Santa Biondo, New Haven Soprano, Chosen for Principal Roles by Metropolitan Opera Company." ''The Hartford Courant''. May 12, 1929: Page E5. A copy of her Met employment contract indicates that her starting pay was $75 a week with a year-by-year renewal provision through 1933.Employment Agreement between the Metropolitan Opera Company New York and Miss Santa Biondo, dated April 20, 1929. The author of ''The Hartford Courant'' article described Biondo's voice as a "lyric-dramatic soprano, lyric for its 'facility of emission' and dramatic for its power and fullness of expression. It is a rare and much sought after combination." Biondo sang in Italian, French and English. Biondo sang for the Met from November 23, 1929 to March 26, 1932 in 31 different performances. After her debut as Nedda in

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

, Biondo sang in a number of other operas for the Met, including ''

Cavalleria Rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play b ...

'', ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...

'', ''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants *Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional enti ...

'', ''

Peter Ibbetson ''Peter Ibbetson'' is a 1935 American black-and-white drama/fantasy film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Gary Cooper and Ann Harding. The film is loosely based on the 1891 novel of the same name by George du Maurier. A tale of a love tha ...

'', and ''La Notte di Zoraima'', in which she performed in the role of Manuela with

Rosa Ponselle Rosa Melba Ponzillo, known as Rosa Ponselle (January 22, 1897 – May 25, 1981) was an American operatic soprano. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the 20t ...

Disappearance

During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, opera companies were hit financially, and both Biondo and the Met fell on hard times. In December 1931, Santa Biondo lost $19,000 in the stock market, and she disappeared from New York, leaving three suicide notes behind. Biondo went missing for only three days, from December 11 to December 14, but detectives launched a manhunt, and the search for Biondo was reported in newspapers all across the United States."Hold Young Singer Vanished Over Debt. Police Reveal Santa Biondo Owed $19,000 as Hunt Goes On Throughout the East." The New York Times. December 12, 1931. One article, published in The

Coshocton Tribune ''Coshocton Tribune'' is a daily newspaper that serves the community of Coshocton, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding Coshocton County. History The ''Coshocton Tribune'' was founded in 1909 by William J. Bahmer, a former teacher. The pap ...

, claimed that the New York Police Department dredged the lake in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, looking for her body."Young Soprano of Metropolitan Believed Suicide." The Conshocton Tribune. December 11, 1931. Contrary to her notes, however, she did not in fact attempt suicide but instead went into seclusion outside of the City."Suicide Theory Out. Police Now Think Singer Is Hiding Self." The Sunday Messenger. Sunday, December 13, 1931. Page 1 of this Athens Ohio newspaper."Young Opera Star Hunted. Police Believe Santa Biondo, Who Disappeared Wednesday, May Be Kidnapped." Oakland Tribune. December 13, 1931."Miss Biondo Safe; In Care of Friends. Opera Soprano's Attorney Says She Is Stopping Somewhere." The New York Times. December 14, 1931."Missing Opera Star Is Found With Her Friends." Oswego-Palladium Times. December 14, 1931."Missing Singer Is Found With Friends." Oakland Tribune. December 14, 1931. (Page 1 article of this Oakland, California newspaper).Parton, Lemuel. "Who's News Today." Oakland Tribune Daily Magazine. December 14, 1931. Includes a paragraph attributing Santa Biondo's depression to the death of her mother on the eve of her first public performance in 1927. With the aid of friends and family, Santa Biondo snapped out of it and went back to work. When newspapers asked her why she left, she offered conflicting explanations, but it was clear that she was depressed about her financial situation."Santa Biondo Returns to Her Hotel Quarters." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. December 16, 1931."Singer Sought Debtor. Miss Biondo Says man owes Her $70,000, but She Failed to Find Him." The New York Times. December 16, 1931. And although she didn't say it, she may have been aware that her career at the Metropolitan Opera Company was drawing to a close."Biondo's Job In Doubt. Metropolitan Opera Holds Singer Who Vanished Broke Contract." The New York Times. December 15, 1931. She performed her last engagement at the Met just three months later, in March 1932. At that point in time, Santa Biondo was still married to Salvatore Mazullo, but they had been apart for three years. Biondo lived at the Plaza Hotel Annex, in New York City, while Salvatore Mazullo continued to live in New Haven."Drop Suicide Theory." Reading Eagle. December 13, 1931. (Reading, Pennsylvania newspaper.)

Performances with other opera companies

By September 1932, Santa Biondo was back on stage, singing in the title role in ''

Aïda ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' at

Bryant Park Bryant Park is a public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Privately managed, it is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas ( Sixth Avenue) and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. The e ...

for the Puccini Grand Opera Company."Activities of Musicians Here and Afield. Two Operas in Bryant Park." The New York Times. September 4, 1932. And the very next month, she sang in the role of Musetta in "La Bohème" at the New Amsterdam Theatre for the San Carlo Opera Company."Boheme Well Received. San Carlo Company Sings to Its Largest Audience of Week." The New York Times. October 29, 1932. Biondo continued to sing for the San Carlo Opera Company, Hippodrome National Opera Company, and the Franz Philipp Opera Company from 1932 through 1937."Reviews and Previews: Opera House." The Tech. December 8, 1936. The Tech, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gives a favorable review of The San Carlo Opera Company's performance of "Carmen", in which Santa Biondo starred as Micaela. Her retinue included ''

La Traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'', ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' (title role), ''

'', and ''

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 ...

'' (title role, 1937)."Hippodrome Troupe in 'Manon Lescaut', Puccini's Third Opera Revived After an Absence From Active List Here." The New York Times. June 15, 1934."5,200 See La Tosca. Barber of Seville Presented in the Afternoon at the Hippodrome." New York Times. March 7, 1937. These were no small concerts. The New York Times states that, in 1934, she sang in the role of Mimi in "La Bohème" for a throng of 5,000 at a Hippodrome National Opera Company event."'La Boheme Is Sung to Throng of 5,000; Well-Prepared Production." ''The New York Times''. May 7, 1934. And in 1934, she sang for 5,200 as Tosca, again for the Hippodrome National Opera Company. The June 14, 1936 issue of

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

states that she also performed with 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 ...

at the

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is the sixth oldest zoo in the United States, founded in 1873 and officially opening in 1875. It is located in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It originally began with in the middle of the c ...

with other opera singers such as

Rosemarie Brancato 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 c ...

, Anna Leskaya, Jean Pengelly, Norma Richter, and others."Cincinnati Zoo Opera." The New York Times. June 14, 1936. Page X5. Biondo continued to perform until February 1938, but there isn't any mention of her career thereafter."Programs of the Week; Return of 'Man Without a Country." The New York Times. February 13, 1938. She apparently retired from singing at the professional level around that time.

Radio performances, recitals

At the height of her career, Santa Biondo performed at least one radio broadcast. The September 22, 1929 edition of the

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...

newspaper announced, "Santa Biondo, soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Company, will be the featured artist with an orchestra under the direction of

Josef Pasternack Josef Alexander Pasternack (7 July 1881 – 29 April 1940) was a conductor and composer in the first half of the 20th century. Biography He was born in Częstochowa, Poland in 1881, the eldest son of Sigmund and Dora Pasternack. He had two y ...

in the broadcast of the

Atwater Kent Arthur Atwater Kent Sr. (December 3, 1873 – March 4, 1949) was an American inventor and prominent radio manufacturer based in Philadelphia. In 1921, he patented the modern form of the automobile ignition coil. Biography Arthur Kent was born ...

concert on the N.B.C. coast-to-coast system tonight at 7:15 o'clock.""The Microphone Will Present-." ''The New York Times''. September 22, 1929. In January 1930, she sang at a duet with Beniamino Gigli in an "Artistic Morning" recital at the Plaza Hotel in New York."Sing at Artistic Morning - Gigli and Santa Biondo Are Heard at the Plaza." ''New York Times''. January 17, 1930. On April 29, 1934, she sang in the role of the Angel in the premier performance of

Pietro Yon Pietro Alessandro Yon (August 8, 1886 – November 22, 1943) was an Italian-born organist and composer who made his career in the United States. Early life Yon was born in Settimo Vittone, (Piedmont, Italy). His earliest studies in music beg ...

's "Triumph of Saint Patrick" at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in New York City."World Premiere of Yon's Oratorio at Carnegie Hall -- Toscanini's Final Wagner..." ''The New York Times''. April 30, 1934. p. Biondo continued to perform in this role at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York for Patrick Cardinal Hayes. "Other Cities to Hear Yon's New Oratorio, Tour for 'The Triumph of St. Patrick' Planned After Its Premiere on April 29." The New York Times. April 19, 1934. p. 11"Music: St. Patrick's Triumph." ''Time Magazine''. May 7, 1934."The Oratorio - Triumph of St. Patrick." The Caecilia Monthly Magazine of Catholic Church and School Music. August 1937. Volume 164. Number 9. Page 290. In December 1934, she sang for the Italian Ambassador, Augusto Rosso, in Newark, New Jersey, at the Shubert Theater, with other Italian-American performers."5,000 Greet Rosso at Newark City Hall." ''New York Times''. December 3, 1934.

Retirement

After retiring from her career, Santa Biondo married Dr. Philip Giordano, advertising director of

Il Progresso Italo-Americano ''Il Progresso Italo-Americano'' was an Italian-language daily newspaper in the United States, published in New York City from 1880 to 1988, when it was shut down due to a union dispute. In 1989, most journalists of ''Il Progresso'' reunited to crea ...

newspaper and editor of Bolletino della Sera.Unpublished letters of Mauro Biondo, Maryland. October, 2007."Dr. Giordano Dead; Advertising Man. Director of Il Progresso Italo-Americano Had Been Official of Publication Since 1929." ''The New York Times''. March 9, 1947. Santa Biondo died on February 15, 1989, in Stamford, Connecticut. She is buried in the Biondo family plot in Saint Lawrence Cemetery located adjacent to the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

Photos

Image:BiondoSantuzzaSanCarloOpera.jpg, Santa Biondo as "Santuzza" in "Cavalleria Rusticana" with the San Carlo Opera Company. Image:BiondoMicaelaCarmen.jpg, Santa Biondo as Micaela in "Carmen" with the San Carlo Opera Company. Image:BiondoMargueriteFaust.jpg, Santa Biondo as Marguerite in "Faust" with the San Carlo Opera Company. Image:Santa biondo and rosa ponselle.jpg, Santa Biondo as Manuela and Rosa Ponselle as Zoraima in "La Notte di Zoraima".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biondo, Santa American operatic sopranos 1892 births 1989 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States Musicians from New Haven, Connecticut 20th-century American women opera singers