Félia Litvinne

Félia Litvinne (October 11, 1860, Saint Petersburg – October 12, 1936, Paris) was a Russian-born, French-based dramatic soprano. She was particularly associated with Wagnerian roles, although she also sang a wide range of parts by other opera composers.

Born in Russia as Françoise Jeanne Schutz into a family of German and French Canadian origin (her mother was born in the Province of Quebec), she came to Paris to study with Barthe-Banderali, Pauline Viardot and Victor Maurel. She made her stage debut at the Théâtre-Italien in 1883, as Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, as a last-minute replacement for Fidès Devriès. Shortly afterwards, she made her official debut as Elvira in Ernani (also by Verdi).

Litvinne's career rapidly became international in scope. During the course of the next three decades she appeared at the Academy of Music in New York, at the Paris Opera, at La Scala in Milan, at the Rome Opera, at La Fenice in Venice, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London and at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Tsarist Russia's two main cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, experienced her vocal artistry as well.

Livinne first sang in New York in 1885-1886 with the Mapleson Company. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in that city on November 25, 1896, as Valentine in Meyerbeer's grandest work, Les Huguenots. She sang at the Met for only one season, however. Her other roles there included Verdi's Aida, Mozart's Donna Anna, Massenet's Chimène, Meyerbeer's Sélika, and Wagner's Brünnhilde and Isolde.

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