Zinka Milanov

Zinka Milanov
Milanov performing in Tosca, 1946
Born	Zinka Kunc (1906-05-17)May 17, 1906 Zagreb, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary
Died	May 30, 1989(1989-05-30) (aged 83) New York City, New York, United States
Nationality	Croat
Occupation	Opera singer

Zinka Milanov (Croatian pronunciation: [zîːŋka milǎnɔv̞]) (May 17, 1906 – May 30, 1989) was a Croatian-born operatic spinto soprano who had a major career centered on the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After finishing her education in Zagreb, Milanov made her debut in 1927 in Ljubljana as Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore. From 1928 to 1936, she was the leading soprano of the Croatian National Theatre. In 1937, Milanov performed at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time, where she continued to sing until 1966. She also performed as a concert singer and was a noted vocal coach and teacher. Mlanov is the sister of the composer and pianist Božidar Kunc.

Born in Zagreb, Croatia as Zinka Kunc (pronounced [zîːŋka kûnt͡s]), she studied with the Wagnerian soprano Milka Ternina and her assistant Marija Kostrenčić. She also studied in Milan with Carpi and in Berlin with Stückgolt. On October 29, 1927, she made her operatic debut as Leonora in Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at age 21. Her debut in her native Croatia, at the National Theatre in Zagreb, took place five weeks later as Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust.