Eleanor La Mance

Eleanor La Mance Longone (July 31, 1898 – June 27, 1985), also known as Elen Longone, was an American mezzo-soprano or contralto who performed in opera, musicals, and on Broadway. Born in Brunswick, Georgia, she was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, the daughter of Reed Ervine La Mance and Sarah Elizabeth Cherry La Mance. Her vocal training took place in France and Italy.

Early in her career, La Mance performed across Europe, South America, and Egypt. In 1925 and 1926 she was a member of the William Wade Hinshaw Company, and in 1926 she appeared as a visiting artist at the Mayflower Hotel. She joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1929, where her appearances included productions of Rigoletto, Manon Lescaut, and Cavalleria rusticana, all in 1929, as well as several special concerts. Following her 1930 recital at Town Hall, The New York Times noted that she possessed ample range and power and unusually brilliant timbre.

Her single Broadway credit came in 1932, when she played Alan-a-Dale in the revival of Robin Hood. During the 1930s she sang with the Chicago City Opera, taking on roles in Aida, Il trovatore, and La fiamma, the last in 1936. In 1940 she performed the role of Azucena in Il trovatore in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a production that also featured Leonard Warren and Arthur Carron.

During World War II, La Mance traveled with the United Service Organizations to entertain American troops in Italy, North Africa, and Alaska. After the war she worked in radio in New York City. She married Chicago City Opera director Paolo Longone in Chicago in 1935; he died in 1939. La Mance died on June 27, 1985, in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 86.