Zélie de Lussan

The Swedish singer Christina Nilsson heard her sing and persuaded the de Lussans to change their minds.

[2] After training with her mother, de Lussan made her operatic début in 1884 in Boston, Massachusetts, as Arline in Balfe's The Bohemian Girl, in which she was an immediate success.

[3] Augustus Harris engaged her to appear in the first season under his management at Covent Garden, London, and as Carmen she made the part "peculiarly her own.

"[5] Shaw nevertheless acknowledged de Lussan's prominence: "Last Wednesday I was told that Siegfried was to be produced that evening at Covent Garden.

[3] In 1894 she made her début at the Metropolitan Opera as Carmen, and appeared there for three seasons in roles including Nannetta (Falstaff), Zerlina, and Nedda (Pagliacci).

[2] The Times observed, "The wide range of her voice, which combined the rich timbre of a mezzo-soprano and a bright ringing tone in the head register, permitted her to do justice to many parts."

[3] According to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "She taught for many years in England, retaining the vitality and charm of her personality well into old age.