Maria Callas

Maria Callas was born to Greek parents in the U.S.A. and moved to Greece with her mother at the age of 13. She made her debut as Tosca at the Athens Opera in 1941. After being heard by Zenatello in New York, she was engaged for La Gioconda at the Arena in Verona, Italy, and her career was launched. She became a very popular star of the Italian opera and performed many heavy roles such as Aida, Isolde, and Brünnhilde. She later went on to star at La Scala, Chicago, and New York. Despite frequent vocal troubles, Callas' genius in her authoritative performances and her richly colored voice by far outweigh any imperfections in her voice.