Bovy, Vina (real name, Malvina Johanna Pauline Félicité Bovi van Overberghe)
Bovy, Vina (real name, Malvina Johanna Pauline Félicité Bovi van Overberghe)
Bovy, Vina (real name, Malvina Johanna Pauline Félicité Bovi van Overberghe), Belgian soprano; b. Ghent, May 22, 1900; d. there, May 16, 1983. She studied piano and voice at the Ghent Cons. (1915–17). In 1917 she made her debut in Hansel und Gretel in Ghent; sang at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1920–23) and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1927); had guest engagements in Barcelona, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Venice, Milan, Rome, and Paris. On Dec. 24, 1936, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Violetta, remaining on its roster until 1938. From 1947 to 1955 she was director of the Ghent Opera. Among her best roles were Gilda, Manon, Lakmé, Juliette, Pamina, Desdemona, and Elsa.
Bibliography
J. Deleersnyder, V. B.(Ghent, 1965).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire