Order of Merit of the Italian Republic – Commander 1965
Order of the Star of Romania – Knight 2016
Website
virginiazeani.org
Virginia ZeaniCommendatore OMRI[1] (born Virginia Zehan; 21 October 1925 – 20 March 2023) was a Romanian-born opera singer who sang leading soprano roles in the opera houses of Europe and North America.
As a singer, she was known for her dramatic intensity and the beauty, wide range, and suppleness of her voice, which allowed her to sing a repertoire of 69 roles ranging from the heroines in belcanto operas by Rossini and Donizetti to those of Wagner, Puccini and Verdi. She also created roles in several 20th-century operas, including Blanche in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Zeani made her professional debut in 1948 as Violetta in La traviata, which would become one of her signature roles; she performed this role over 640 times.[2]
After her retirement from the stage in 1982, she became a well-known voice teacher. She was married to the Italian bass Nicola Rossi-Lemeni from 1957 until his death in 1991. They both taught at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music for many years (and continued to teach singing privately afterwards).[3][4][5][6][7][8] She spent her last years in Palm Beach County, Florida.
^Mesa, Franklin (2007). Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres And Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597–2000. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 450. ISBN 978-0-7864-0959-4.
^Bergeron, Olivier (2 September 2015). "Interviewing the Greats: Virginia Zeani". Schmopera. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
^Eyman, Scott (11 September 2013). "The Quiet Diva: Virginia Zeani was one of the world's great opera singers – but gave up wider fame for life as a wife and mother" Archived 9 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
^Mesa, Franklin (2007). "Zeani (Zehan), Virginia", p. 450. Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597–2000. McFarland; ISBN 1476605378
^Bagnoli, Giorgio (1993). "Zeani, Virginia", p. 381. The La Scala Encyclopedia of the Opera. Simon and Schuster; ISBN 0671870424
^Stinchelli, Enrico (2002). Le stelle della lirica: i grandi cantanti della storia dell'opera, p. 85. Gremese Editore; ISBN 8884401925
^Slonimsky, Nicolas; Kuhn, Laura; McIntire, Dennis (eds.) (2001). "Zeani (real name, Zahan), Virginia". Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Retrieved 18 February 2017 (subscription required)
^Rosenthal, Harold and Blyth, Alan (2008). "Zeani, Virginia", p. 548 in The Grove Book of Opera Singers. Oxford University Press; ISBN 0195337654
VirginiaZeani Commendatore OMRI (born Virginia Zehan; 21 October 1925 – 20 March 2023) was a Romanian-born opera singer who sang leading soprano roles...
Italian translation at La Scala on 26 January 1957, with Romanian soprano VirginiaZeani in the role of Blanche. The original French version premiered on 21...
Song Contest 1963) and actress (Blonde in Bondage, I moralens navn). VirginiaZeani, 97, Romanian operatic soprano. Charles E. Bastien, 60, Canadian animator...
Cristian Vasile Veronika Sofia Vicoveanca Vali Vijelie Nadine Voindrouh Voltaj Ellie White Xonia Adela Zaharia Zavaidoc VirginiaZeani Music of Romania...
at Indiana University with noted voice teacher VirginiaZeani. Brown had worked frequently with Zeani while at Oakwood College, as Ginger Beazley took...
teacher of Oda Slobodskaya and of Lydia Lipkowska, who in turn taught VirginiaZeani. She was also the godmother of Artôt's daughter Lola Artôt de Padilla...
degree in music performance from Samford University. After studying with VirginiaZeani at Indiana University, she spent two years as an apprentice with the...
Dorothy Dow. She then studied with the late Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and VirginiaZeani at Indiana University Bloomington and for many years with Claudia Pinza...
Switzerland-born American recording engineer and producer, 93 21 March – VirginiaZeani, Romanian soprano and pedagogue resident in the United States, 97 27...
School of Music), where she studied voice with Virginia MacWatters, John Wustman, and VirginiaZeani. McNair made her professional concert debut in 1980...
(d. 2015) 1925 – Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer (d. 2003) 1925 – VirginiaZeani, Romanian soprano and educator (d. 2023) 1926 – Bob Rosburg, American...
Indian politician (d. 2017) Celia Cruz, Cuban-American singer (d. 2003) VirginiaZeani, Romanian soprano (d. 2023) October 22 Edith Kawelohea McKinzie, Hawaiian...
Moffo/Paolo Montarsolo, 1958 Mario Lanfranchi movie, View Video (label) VirginiaZeani opposite her husband Rossi-Lemeni conducted by Singer, 1959, Vox Renata...
culture: an opera fan, he published a 2011 book of interviews with soprano VirginiaZeani, which received positive reviews from music critics. In summer 2011...
Romanian Essayist, Theorist and Professor of the University of Bucharest VirginiaZeani, Romanian Soprano Victor Ciorbea, 83rd Former Prime Minister of Romania...
Bish, George Shirley, Boston Brass, Ara Berberian, Martina Arroyo, and VirginiaZeani, are a few of the musicians to teach and perform at Bay View. The Fisk...
Paslaru – singer Irma Wolpe Rademacher - pianist Beverly Sills – soprano VirginiaZeani – opera singer Fred Arbanas (1939–2021) – American football player Nadia...
Nicolescu, soprano Mihaela Ursuleasa, pianist Leontina Vaduva, soprano VirginiaZeani, soprano Maria Tănase, Romanian popular music singer Alexander Bălănescu...
Poulenc: Dialogues Des Carmélites 1957/ Nino Sanzogno conductor, Gencer, VirginiaZeani, Gianna Pederzini, et al. (premiere in Italian translation) Zandonai:...
2307/894353. ISSN 0027-4380. JSTOR 894353. Kandell, Jonathan (2023-03-21). "VirginiaZeani, Versatile and Durable Soprano, Dies at 97". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331...
Orchestra and Chorus CD: EMI Cat: 585 647-2 (First studio recording) 1957 VirginiaZeani, Mario Filippeschi, Aldo Protti, Andrea Mongelli [it] Francesco Molinari...
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