Elena Nikolaidi (Greek: Έλενα Νικολαΐδη; June 15, 1909 – November 14, 2002) was a Greek-American opera singer and teacher. She sang leading mezzo-soprano roles with major opera companies worldwide and made numerous recordings.
Elena Nikolaidi was born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire, (which is now İzmir, Turkey). In 1922, after the invasion of Turkey in Smyrna, she moved with her family to Greece. She studied voice on scholarship at the Athens Conservatoire under Thanos Mellos. She made her debut with orchestra in Athens in a performance conducted by Dimitris Mitropoulos. Her first stage appearance was in the premiere of The Ghost Bridge by Theophrastos Sakellaridis.
Nikolaidi married Mellos, her voice instructor, in 1936. However, she would retain "Elena Nikolaidi" as her professional name.
Career
In 1936, Nikolaidi traveled to Vienna to compete in the Belvedere vocal competition. She placed fourth but earned a second hearing with the great conductor Bruno Walter, which resulted in her being cast as Princess Eboli, a leading role, in Verdi's opera Don Carlos with the Vienna State Opera on December 16, 1936.
In 1948, Nikolaidi went to the United States with her husband and their son, Michael. She made her Town Hall debut recital in New York City in January 1949. The following morning, Jerome D. Bohm of the New York Herald Tribune wrote: "In 20 years of music reviewing and in twice that number spent in listening to most of the world's best singers, I have encountered no greater voice or vocalist"; the New York Times critic wrote of her "rare brilliance".
She made her American operatic debut as Amneris in Verdi's Aïda with the San Francisco Opera and reprised the role for her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1951 alongside the debut of George London.[1][2] In the early 1960s she retired from opera but continued concertizing extensively for a number of years.
Teaching career
In 1960, Nikolaidi accepted a position on the voice faculty of Florida State University in Tallahassee. In 1977, she went to Houston, Texas, as the primary voice instructor for the newly established Houston Opera Studio, a young-artist training program that was at that time a joint venture of Houston Grand Opera and the University of Houston; she also instructed a select few university students who were not in the HOS program.[citation needed]
Elena Nikolaidi: In Recital (DVD, Video Artists International). Nikolaidi with Guy Bourassa, piano, performing music of Gluck, Wolf, Canteloube, and traditional Greek songs. (Recorded 1961; released 2005)
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations March 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Elena Nikolaidi Greek Elena Nikolaidh June 15 1909 November 14 2002 was a Greek American opera singer and teacher She sang leading mezzo soprano roles with major opera companies worldwide and made numerous recordings Elena Nikolaidi 1953 Her birth year is given as 1906 in some sources Contents 1 Early life and musical study 2 Career 3 Teaching career 4 Death 5 Recordings 6 References 7 SourcesEarly life and musical study EditElena Nikolaidi was born in Smyrna Ottoman Empire which is now Izmir Turkey In 1922 after the invasion of Turkey in Smyrna she moved with her family to Greece She studied voice on scholarship at the Athens Conservatoire under Thanos Mellos She made her debut with orchestra in Athens in a performance conducted by Dimitris Mitropoulos Her first stage appearance was in the premiere of The Ghost Bridge by Theophrastos Sakellaridis Nikolaidi married Mellos her voice instructor in 1936 However she would retain Elena Nikolaidi as her professional name Career EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Elena Nikolaidi news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 1936 Nikolaidi traveled to Vienna to compete in the Belvedere vocal competition She placed fourth but earned a second hearing with the great conductor Bruno Walter which resulted in her being cast as Princess Eboli a leading role in Verdi s opera Don Carlos with the Vienna State Opera on December 16 1936 In 1948 Nikolaidi went to the United States with her husband and their son Michael She made her Town Hall debut recital in New York City in January 1949 The following morning Jerome D Bohm of the New York Herald Tribune wrote In 20 years of music reviewing and in twice that number spent in listening to most of the world s best singers I have encountered no greater voice or vocalist the New York Times critic wrote of her rare brilliance She made her American operatic debut as Amneris in Verdi s Aida with the San Francisco Opera and reprised the role for her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1951 alongside the debut of George London 1 2 In the early 1960s she retired from opera but continued concertizing extensively for a number of years Teaching career EditIn 1960 Nikolaidi accepted a position on the voice faculty of Florida State University in Tallahassee In 1977 she went to Houston Texas as the primary voice instructor for the newly established Houston Opera Studio a young artist training program that was at that time a joint venture of Houston Grand Opera and the University of Houston she also instructed a select few university students who were not in the HOS program citation needed Nikolaidi s pupils included Linda Zoghby Bruce Fowler Erie Mills and Jan Grissom 3 Death EditMadame Nikolaidi retired from teaching in 1994 and moved to Santa Fe New Mexico where she died aged 92 in 2002 Recordings EditElena Nikolaidi made numerous recordings A small selection is listed below Legendary Voices CD Preiser Records also issued as Lebendige Vergangenheit by Albany Music Distribution Nikolaidi with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra Vienna Symphony Orchestra New York Philharmonic and pianist Jan Behr performing music of Rossini Verdi Bizet Weber Richard Strauss Mozart Haydn Schubert Schumann and Brahms Recorded 1943 1949 1950 released 2003 Elena Nikolaidi In Recital DVD Video Artists International Nikolaidi with Guy Bourassa piano performing music of Gluck Wolf Canteloube and traditional Greek songs Recorded 1961 released 2005 Mahler Das Lied von der Erde recorded live in 1953 with Bruno Walter and the New York Philharmonic and released on an Archipel CD in 1997 and 2003 Richard Strauss Elektra with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos Nikolaidi sang the role of Klytemnestra Recorded 1949 References Edit BiblioTech PRO V3 2b Archives metoperafamily org November 13 1951 Retrieved March 27 2015 BiblioTech PRO V3 2a Archives metoperafamily org November 23 1945 Retrieved March 27 2015 Nicolas Slonimsky 1988 The Concise Baker s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians Schirmer Books p 1404 ISBN 978 0 02 872411 9 Sources EditWard Charles May 8 1994 Ciao Niki Houston Chronicle Elena Nikolaidi 1909 2002 Beautyinmusic com Mattison Ben November 19 2002 Mezzo Soprano Elena Nikolaidi Is Dead at 96 Houston Chronicle Social Security Death Index Tenna Kraft Elena Nikolaidi Classical CD Review Music Velvet Time January 31 1949 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elena Nikolaidi amp oldid 1102897484, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
