January 4 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on January 4, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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1710

Birth of Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (later known for opera works including "La serva padrona"); born in Jesi on 4 January 1710.

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1786

World premiere of Vicente Martín y Soler’s opera buffa "Il burbero di buon cuore" at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 4 January 1786.

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1786

First performance of Antonio Sacchini’s tragédie lyrique "Œdipe à Colone" at the Palace of Versailles on 4 January 1786.

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1798

Death of Italian opera composer Giuseppe Giordani (Giuseppe Tommaso Giovanni Giordani); died in Fermo on 4 January 1798.

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1892

First performance of the comic opera "The Mountebanks" (W. S. Gilbert / Alfred Cellier) at the Lyric Theatre in London on 4 January 1892.

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1893

First staged performance in the United States of Saint-Saëns’s opera "Samson and Delilah" at the French Opera House (New Orleans) on 4 January 1893.

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1937

Birth of American opera singer Grace Bumbry; born in St. Louis, Missouri on 4 January 1937.

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