Osborn-Hannah, Jane

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Osborn-Hannah, Jane

Osborn-Hannah, Jane, American soprano; b. Wilmington, Ohio, July 8, 1873; d. N.Y., Aug. 13, 1943. After vocal instruction from her mother, she studied with Marchesi and Sbriglia in Paris and with Sucher in Berlin. In 1904 she made her operatic debut as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser in Leipzig, and sang there until 1907. After appearances in Dresden, Munich, and Berlin, she sang at London’s Covent Garden in 1908. On Jan. 5, 1910, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Elisabeth, and continued on its roster for the 1910–11 season. She also was a member of the Chicago Grand Opera (1910–14). While she was best known as a Wagnerian, she also sang such roles as Desdemona, Cio-Cio-San, and Nedda with conviction.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire

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