Lidia Lipkowska ^People

After studying at the Sank Petersburg Conservatory, Lydia Lipkowska made her debut at that city's Imperial Opera in 1908. An excellent actress who was graced with a pure, communicative voice, she became a favorite with audiences of the day.She was committed to the Marinsky Theatre from 1906-1908 and again from 1911-1913. She was a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1909 until 1911. Lipkowska's debut with the Metropolitan was as Violetta in La Traviata on November 18, 1909, with Caruso as Alfredo. She made her Covent Garden debut in 1911 and in the fateful year of 1914 appeared in Monte Carlo in the first performan- ces of Ponchielli's I Mori di Valenza. Within the span of those three years, Lipkowska made 29 recordings, many of which remain highly rated by modern critics of vocal artistry. After the Bolshevik Revolution, she emigrated in 1919 to France and resumedher career with Russian emigré opera troupes throughout Western Europe. In 1928- 1929, she made an emotionally difficult return tour of the Soviet Union, after whichshe lived, and taught singing, in Rumania. Virginia Zeani was among her students.In 1945, Lipkowska returned to France, then settled some years later inLebanon, living and teaching in Beirut, where she died on March 22, 1958. Her large repertory included Lakmé, Lucia, and the role of Marfa in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride, as well as Tchaikovsky's Tatiana and Iolanta.