Dusolina Giannini

Dusolina Giannini (December 19, 1899 – June 29, 1986) was an Italian-American dramatic soprano born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a musically distinguished family. Her father, Ferruccio Giannini (1868–1948), was a tenor born in Ponte d'Arbia, and her mother, Antonietta Briglia Giannini (1873–1934), was a violinist born in Marsicovetere. Though her birth year is commonly cited as 1902, she was in fact born in 1899. Among her five siblings, three survived to adulthood, including Eufemia Giannini Gregory (1895–1979), who taught voice at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Vittorio Giannini (1903–1966), a composer. Her paternal cousin was Margaret Giannini.

Giannini received her earliest vocal training from her father before continuing her studies under Marcella Sembrich. Her concert career began in 1923, when she appeared in Manhattan as a substitute for Anna Case. The following year she performed in both London and Havana, and in 1925 she made her operatic debut in Hamburg in the role of Aida. A complete recording of Aida from 1928, made opposite tenor Aureliano Pertile, preserves her voice from this period of her career.

Her international profile grew steadily through the 1930s. She sang at the Salzburg Festival in 1934, performing as Donna Anna and Alice Ford, and made her debut at the Paris Opéra in 1936 as Donna Anna. In 1938, she created the role of Hester Prynne in the Hamburg premiere of The Scarlet Letter, an opera composed by her brother Vittorio Giannini. That same year she began appearing with the Chicago City Opera Company, a relationship that continued through 1942. She also performed with the San Francisco Opera from 1939 to 1943.

Giannini sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1935 to 1942 and participated in the inaugural season of the New York City Opera in 1943, appearing as Tosca. In 1944 she appeared on Broadway, with credits that included I Pagliacci and La Tosca. Following the war, she resumed performances in Paris, London, Berlin, and Vienna.

On December 26, 1942, Giannini married Elmer Alan Richter (1888–1974) at her parents' home in Philadelphia. In the 1960s she retired from performing and turned to music teaching. She died in Zurich on June 29, 1986, at the age of 86.