July 19 — On This Day in Opera

French composer Victor Massé, best known for the operas "Les noces de Jeannette" and "Paul et Virginie", was born in Lorient.

French composer Edgar Degas, who later collaborated on several opera-related productions and designed stage works, was born in Paris.

Birth of American amateur coloratura soprano Florence Foster Jenkins, known later as the ‘world’s worst opera singer’, born in Wilkes‑Barre, Pennsylvania.

Franz Liszt's oratorio "Die Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth" received its first staged performance at Bayreuth under the direction of Hans Richter.

American dramatic soprano Eileen Farrell made her professional operatic debut in a concert performance of Verdi's "Aida".

Death of Italian poet and opera librettist Carlo Zangarini.

Death of African‑American composer Will Marion Cook, known for works bridging opera and musical theater.

Birth of Canadian operatic baritone and conductor Russell Braun in Frankfurt, who performs regularly at major opera houses like the Met and Salzburg Festival.

Birth of Slovenian soprano Urška Arlič Gololičič in Celje, known for roles like Gilda in *Rigoletto* at Ljubljana Opera.

Death of American opera director David Roth, general director of Kentucky Opera from 2006 to 2015.

Italian conductor Claudio Abbado, renowned for performances of Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, and Berg operas, was honored posthumously with a memorial concert at the Salzburg Festival.