Frances Greer

At LSU she studied voice, was a member of Phi Mu sorority, and was highly active in student opera productions that were at that time directed by baritone Pasquale Amato.

While a student, Greer won a major singing contest which led to an engagement to perform as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Eugene Ormandy.

She remained with the company through 1941, portraying such roles as Adele in Die Fledermaus, Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly, Concepcion in L’heure espagnole, Frasquita in Carmen, Giorgetta in Il tabarro, Mařenka in The Bartered Bride, Marguerite in Faust, Méliande in Pelléas et Mélisande, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro.

She made her debut at the house as Musetta on November 30, 1942 with Grace Moore as Mimì, Frederick Jagel as Rodolfo, Frank Valentino as Marcello, and Cesare Sodero conducting.

She remained at the Met for the next 8 years, performing such roles as Ellen in Lakmé, the High Priestess in Aida, Frasquita, Marzelline in Fidelio, Nannetta in Falstaff, Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Poussette in Manon, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, Susanna, Xenia in Boris Godunov, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni.