April 3 — On This Day in Opera

German composer and conductor Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote the opera "Fidelio", was baptized in Bonn (traditionally associated with his birth around this date).

Composer and conductor Oscar Straus, later known for operettas such as "Ein Walzertraum" and "Der tapfere Soldat", was born in Vienna.

Johannes Brahms died in Vienna; although not an opera composer, his music and aesthetic influence profoundly affected late-19th-century German operatic composition.

Italian tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano, later famous for performances in operas such as "Rigoletto", "La bohème", and "Tosca", was born in Motta Sant’Anastasia, Sicily.

American composer Lowell Liebermann, later known for operas including "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Miss Lonelyhearts", was born in New York City.