Cornélie van Zanten

Wijntje Cornelia van Zanten (Dordrecht, August 2, 1855 - The Hague, January 10, 1946) was a Dutch opera singer, singing teacher and author.

Van Zanten, who sang both mezzo-soprano and alto, also wrote her name as Cornélie or Cornelie and was known among friends as Corry or Kee.

She studied at the conservatory of Cologne, among others, and then continued her studies in Milan under Francesco Lamperti. In September 1875 she made her debut in Turin, singing the role of Leonora in Donizetti's opera La Favorita. In 1879 she left Italy for Germany, where she sang at the opera of Breslau, Kassel (with Gustav Mahler as conductor) and Hamburg. During her German period she also composed a number of Lieder, including Mijn Moedertaal ("My Mother Tongue") in 1881.

In 1885 she was invited to join the American Opera Company at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Soon after, she joined the National Opera Company for a lengthy tour of North America in the 1886-1887 season. Highlights of the tour were her roles as Orpheus in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and the title role in Carmen by Bizet. After the company went bankrupt, she returned to Europe and worked in Russia (where she sang a complete Der Ring des Nibelungen by Wagner), in the Netherlands (where she sang at the Hollandsche Opera and the Nederlandse Opera), and in Germany.

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