[2] Diagnosed as a teenager with pulmonary disease, her doctor suggested she try studying classical singing to strengthen her lungs, as was customary at the time.

She made her professional debut in 1940 as Marguerite in Vladimir Rosing's Los Angeles production of Gounod's Faust.

In 1941, she began her career at the Metropolitan Opera, making her debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute (sung in English).

[3] In 1949 she appeared in a Camel commercial which shows her smoking in her dressing room just after the 10-minute call: "They're mild and they agree with my throat.

[7] She made numerous guest appearance in European opera houses, starting in 1953 and was also heard in a wide range of concert repertoire.

She made a notable recording of the Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with conductor Bruno Walter.

Her New York Times obituary gave her year of birth as 1907[8] and her age at death as 96, as did other sources, most notably, Variety.