Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska (February 15, 1858 – January 11, 1935), known professionally as Marcella Sembrich, was a Polish dramatic coloratura soprano.

She is known for her extensive range of two and a half octaves, precise intonation, charm, portamento, vocal fluidity, and impressive coloratura.

[1][2] Sembrich was born at Wisniewczyk which lies in the Polish region of Austro-Hungarian occupied Galicia, now part of Ukraine.

An elderly man nicknamed Dziadek Lanowitch, took a liking to her and at age ten sent her to the Lemberg Conservatory in what was then Lwow, Poland.

After a year it was decided to give up study of the violin and piano and fully devote the young student to voice lessons.

[5] After less than a year of study with the younger of the two Lampertis, Sembrich made her debut in opera at Athens as Elvira in Bellini's I puritani on June 3, 1877.

It is a testament to her proper early training and intelligence that a 19-year-old soprano could learn so many roles in a foreign language so quickly.

During her pregnancy and after the birth of her first son, Wilhelm Marcel, she continued her vocal studies, this time with Marie Seebach and Richard Lewey in Vienna.

She became a great favorite in the characters of Zerlina, Don Giovanni; Susanna, The Marriage of Figaro; Konstanze, The Abduction from the Seraglio; Lady Harriet/Martha, Martha; and, of course, Lucia.

For next three decades, Sembrich traveled across the United States and Europe singing in major cities including Dresden, London, Madrid, Paris, St. Petersburg, New York.

[10] After this date, she started the vocal programs at both Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and at the Juilliard School of Music, where she ended up teaching once she retired.

Her students included Alma Gluck, Hulda Lashanska, Queena Mario, Edna de Lima, Dusolina Giannini, Josephine Antoine, Natalie Bodanya, Annamary Dickey, Nancy McCord, Polyna Stoska, Jane Pickens.

There seemed to be no limit to her vocalization: notes run out like pearls falling into a casket with infinite richness, and apparently no effort.

Richard LeSueur, reviewer for ARSC Journal, states that her recordings may have been controversial at the time, but it provides a broader picture of her art.