July 20 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on July 20, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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Premieres & milestones

1920 Premiere

Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" received its first performance in the United Kingdom in a concert presentation at Wigmore Hall, London.

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1995

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti gave his final performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, singing the title role in Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera".

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2019

Santa Fe Opera presented Leoš Janáček’s "Jenůfa" for the first time in its company history.

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2025 Premiere

American premiere of Louise Talma’s opera "The Alcestiad" at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC.

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Births & deaths

1822 Born

French composer César Franck, whose stage works include the opera "Hulda", was born in Liège.

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1877 Born

Birth of Latvian tenor Hermann Jadlowker, known for his Wagnerian roles and an international opera career.

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1887 Born

German conductor and composer Hermann Abendroth, later a noted interpreter of Wagner's operas, was born in Frankfurt am Main.

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1895 Born

Birth of Spanish soprano Mercedes Capsir, celebrated for roles like Gilda in Verdi’s "Rigoletto".

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1920 Born

Birth of Hungarian-American bass Andrew Foldi, noted for his long career at the Metropolitan Opera.

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1932 Born

Italian tenor Franco Corelli, one of the leading dramatic tenors of the post-war era, was born in Ancona.

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1933 Died

Death of Austrian baritone Emil Schipper at age 75; he had a distinguished career in European opera.

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