María Remolá (7 December 1930 — 9 December 2021) was a Spanish-born Cuban operatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

. She was known for her

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano () is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile run (music), runs, leaps and Trill (music), trills. The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, whi ...

voice and was nicknamed "the Cuban Nightingale" ().

Life and career

Remolá was born in 1930 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. At the suggestion of an aunt of hers, who recognised her singing, she settled in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

in 1952 to pursue voice lessons, and later became a naturalised citizen. She studied under famed Cuban tenor Francisco Fernández Dominicis. She made her professional debut in 1958 with the Aguilá-Martelo company in the title role of

Emilio Arrieta Juan Pascual Antonio Arrieta Corera (20 October 1821 – 11 February 1894), also known as Emilio Arrieta, was a Spanish composer. Arrieta was born in Puente la Reina, Navarre. His Italian musical training led him, under the favour of Queen ...

's opera ''Marina''. Remolá returned to Barcelona after decades of living in Cuba to spend time with her dying mother. She later settled in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and led a quiet life with teaching. On 19 September 2010, an homage gala was held for her at the Sala Máximo Avilés Blonda, of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. In October 2011, she returned to Havana for an invitation by the

UNEAC The National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, UNEAC) is a social, cultural and professional organization of writers, musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, and artist of different genres. I ...

and the Ópera de la Calle. Remolá spent her final years in a nursery home in

, where she died on 9 December 2021, two days after her 91st birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Remola, Maria 1930 births 2021 deaths Singers from Barcelona Cuban operatic sopranos Spanish operatic sopranos Spanish emigrants to Cuba 20th-century Cuban women opera singers 20th-century Spanish women opera singers Musicians from Havana Naturalised citizens of Cuba