Virginia Zeani
Romanian-born opera singer
Died when: 97 years 150 days (1168 months)Star Sign: Scorpio
Virginia Zeani (born Virginia Zehan; 21 October 1925), Commendatore OMRI 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 has since sung the opera over 640 times.
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.
A Distinguished Professor Emerita at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music where she taught for many years, Zeani lives in Palm Beach County, Florida and has continued to teach singing privately.
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