July 18 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on July 18, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

Premieres & milestones

1903
Canadian soprano Beatrice LaPalme made her Covent Garden debut as Musetta in a gala performance of 'La Bohème' attended by King Edward VII.
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1925
Austrian tenor Anton Dermota made his debut at the Salzburg Festival, beginning a long association with Mozart's operas.
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Richard Strauss's "Capriccio" received its Swiss premiere at the Zürich Opera House.
1943 Premiere
Richard Strauss's "Capriccio" received its Swiss premiere at the Zürich Opera House.
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2019
Recording of oral history interviews with African-American opera artists, including George Shirley and Robert Sims, conducted by Richard Poppino in Chicago.
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Births & deaths

1670 Born
Birth of Giovanni Bononcini, Italian cellist and composer known for his contributions to opera.
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French operatic baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure, the first Posa in Verdi's "Don Carlos" and the dedicatee of Fauré's "Après un rêve", was born in Moulins.
1816 Born
French operatic baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure, the first Posa in Verdi's "Don Carlos" and the dedicatee of Fauré's "Après un rêve", was born in Moulins.
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1841 Born
French composer Emmanuel Chabrier, creator of the opera "Le roi malgré lui", was born in Ambert.
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1869 Died
Death of Louis Bouilhet, French poet and librettist, known for his work on operas such as 'Les Troyens' by Hector Berlioz.
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1882 Born
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, composer of comic operas including "Il segreto di Susanna" and "I quattro rusteghi", was born in Venice.
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