Opera Scotland

Sofia Scalchi Suggest updates

Born Turin, 29 November 1850.

Died Rome, 22 August 1922.

Italian mezzo-soprano.

Sofia Scalchi enjoyed a long career at Covent Garden (1868-1890) and also at the New York Met, where she sang Siébel in Faust at the opening night in 1883.

During her early years in Italy Scalchi studied with Boccabati, and made her debut aged only 16 as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera (Mantua 1866).

Her Covent Garden debut in 1868 was as Azucena. Later roles there included Arsace and Urbain. She sang Amneris in the British première of Aïda (Covent Garden 1876).

Scalchi later toured the USA with Mapleson's company between 1882 and 1885. In addition to the opening night of Faust, she sang La Cieca in the first Met performance of La gioconda (1884).

Scalchi worked regularly at the Met from 1891 to 1896, and during that period sang in several Met premières, including Emilia in Otello (1894), Quickly in Falstaff (1895) and in Andrea Chénier (1896).