Milka Ternina

Praised by audiences and music critics alike for the electrifying force of her acting and the excellence of her singing in both German and Italian works, her career was curtailed at its peak in 1906 by a medical condition which paralyzed a nerve in her face.

The conductor Anton Seidl was impressed by Ternina's potential and he recommended her to replace another acclaimed dramatic soprano, Katharina Klafsky, at the Bremen Opera.

In 1890, she was engaged by the Munich Royal Opera, where, over the next few years, she consolidated her reputation as a top-class singer and distinguished herself as an outstanding exponent of Wagnerian music dramas.

Ternina's North American debut took place in Boston in 1896, when she sang Brünnhilde in Die Walküre with the Damrosch Opera Company.

Ternina famously sang the title role in the 1901 American premiere of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, performing the part at the Met to considerable acclaim on 18 further occasions.

[2] The ailment did not yield to medical treatment and she decided to retire from the stage at the height of her powers, as she believed it was no longer possible for her to maintain the highest level of performance.