Cebotari, Maria (1910–1949)

Bessarabian soprano. Born Maria Cebotari in Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russia, on February 10, 1910; died on June 9, 1949, in Vienna, Austria; married Count Alexander Virubov (divorced 1938); married Gustav Diessl (a film actor); studied at the Kishinev Conservatory (1924–29) and at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Oskar Daniel.

Made debut at the Dresden Staatsoper as Mimi (1931) and sang there until 1936; appeared at Covent Garden (1936 and 1947); appeared in Berlin (1936–44) and in Vienna (1946–49); appeared in six films between 1933 and 1941.

Maria Cebotari was born in Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russia, on February 10, 1910. She sang in a church choir and then studied at the Kishinev Conservatory from 1924 until 1929. Joining a troupe of itinerant Russian actors who visited her small town, Cebotari later married the troupe's leader. She made her operatic debut in Paris and then studied in Berlin, joining the Dresden Opera in 1931. Although she performed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, and Rumania, Cebotari never appeared in the United States because of the outbreak of World War II. She specialized in the music of Richard Strauss, Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini and sang many Russian operas. In addition to appearing in six films, Cebotari made many recordings. In the early 1970s, BASF re-released many radio tapes on which she could be heard. Her commercial recordings continue to reappear with great regularity despite her untimely death at the early age of 39 on June 9, 1949.

suggested reading:

Mingotti, A. Maria Cebotari. Salzburg, 1950.

John Haag , Athens, Georgia