Natalie Bodanya

Natalie Bodanya (August 23, 1908 – March 4, 2007) was an American operatic soprano who had an active international career from the late 1920s through the 1940s. She notably sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 through 1942 and was a performer with the New York City Opera during the company's 1943-1944 inaugural season.

Born Natalia Bodanskaya in Manhattan, Bodanya grew up in an apartment building in the Upper East Side. One of her neighbors was an employee at the Union Settlement, a music school in Bodanya's neighborhood. Her neighbor provided her with the opportunity to receive her first music lessons at the school and eventually provided her with the opportunity to audition for famed coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich. Impressed, Sembrich took on Bodanya as her student and through her support, Bodanya was able to enroll at the Curtis Institute of Music. After graduating she continued with further vocal studies under Sylvan Levin.

While studying at Curtis, Bodanya made her professional opera debut on December 26, 1929 as Blonde in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music under conductor Emil Młynarski. At the time of her debut, Natalie Bodanya billed herself as Natalie Bodanskaya. She shortened her name as of December 22, 1936, to lessen confusion with the mezzo-soprano Ina Bourskaya and the conductor Artur Bodanzky.

After several years of performing with second tier companies in the United States, Bodanya was invited by Edward Johnson to join the roster of principal artists at the Metropolitan Opera. She made her debut with the company as Micaela in Georges Bizet's Carmen on May 11, 1936 with Bruna Castagna in the title role, Armand Tokatyan as Don José, Carlo Morelli as Escamillo, and Gennaro Papi conducting. Her portrayal of Micaela later appeared on the January 7, 1937 Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast on January 7, 1937 in which her performance shines through as one of the great creations of that role.

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