Felia Litvinne French opera singer (dramatic soprano) originally from Russia Date of Birth: 11.10.1860 Country: France

Biography of Félia Litvin

Félia Litvin, born Françoise Jeanne Schutz, was a French opera singer (dramatic soprano) originally from Russia. She was born on October 11, 1860, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a family with German and French-Canadian roots. Her mother was born in Quebec. Félia traveled to Paris to study under Barthe-Banderali, Pauline Viardot, and baritone Victor Maurel. She made her stage debut at the Theatre-Italien in 1883, replacing Fides Devries at the last minute. Litvin performed the role of Amelia in Giuseppe Verdi's opera 'Simon Boccanegra'. Soon after her "first voice test," she officially debuted as Elvira in another Verdi opera, 'Ernani'. Her career quickly reached an international level. Over the next three decades, she appeared at the Academy of Music in New York, Paris Opera, La Scala in Milan, Rome Opera, La Fenice in Venice, Covent Garden in London, and Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. The major cities of Imperial Russia, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, were also familiar with the beautiful voice of dramatic soprano Litvin. In 1885-1886, Félia sang with the Mapleson Company in New York. It was in this city that she first took the stage at the Metropolitan Opera on November 25, 1896, portraying Valentina in Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera 'Les Huguenots'. However, Félia limited herself to only one theater season at the Metropolitan Opera. Among her other roles performed at this leading opera house in the United States were Aida in Verdi's opera of the same name, Donna Anna in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', Chimène in Jules Massenet's opera 'Le Cid', Selika in Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera 'L'Africaine', and more. Paris played a central role in Litvin's career. She participated in the premieres of three works by Camille Saint-Saëns: 'Hélène', 'L'ancêtre', and 'Déjanire'. In addition, she premiered Camille Erlanger's opera 'Bacchus triomphant'. Litvin also received recognition for her magnificent performances of two 18th-century Gluck operas, 'Alceste' and 'Armide'.

In 1915, Félia performed in Monte Carlo as Aida, sharing the stage with Enrico Caruso. Her final opera performances took place in Vichy in 1919, although her solo concerts continued until 1924. After retiring, Litvin taught at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. Among her students were soprano Nina Koshetz and Germaine Lubin. She published the book 'Conseils et exercices' in 1924, and her autobiography 'Ma vie et mon art' was published in 1933. The singer passed away on October 12, 1936, the day after her 76th birthday.

Many considered Félia to be one of the greatest sopranos of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She possessed a beautiful singing technique and a strong, flexible, and resonant voice. Her low and middle register encompassed mezzo-soprano, adding a special color to her sound, although she didn't always hit the high notes flawlessly. 35 preserved recordings of Litvin from the archives were compiled on a single CD by 'Marston Records'.