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December 2 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on December 2, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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Premieres & milestones

1729 Premiere
Handel's opera 'Lotario' (HWV 26) received its first performance at the King's Theatre in London.
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1840 Premiere
Gaetano Donizetti's grand opera 'La favorite' premiered at the Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opéra) in Paris.
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1877 Premiere
Camille Saint-Saëns's opera 'Samson et Dalila' received its world premiere at the Grand Ducal Theatre in Weimar.
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1885
Karl Goldmark's opera 'Die Königin von Saba' ('La regina di Saba') was performed for the first time in the United States at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
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2023 Premiere
World premiere of Péter Eötvös's opera 'Valuska' at the Eiffel Art Studios (Hungarian State Opera) in Budapest.
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Births & deaths

1845 Died
Death of composer Giovanni Simone Mayr (Johann Simon Mayr), an influential figure in Italian opera and teacher of Donizetti, in Bergamo.
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1923 Born
Birth of soprano Maria Callas (Anna Maria Sophia Cecilia Kalogeropoulou) in Manhattan, New York, who became one of the most iconic opera singers of the 20th century.
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1939 Born
Birth of Iranian spinto soprano and folk singer Pari Zangeneh (Parirokh Shahyalani) in Kashan, Iran.
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1946 Born
Birth of Finnish bass Jaakko Ryhänen, noted opera singer and voice teacher, in Tampere, Finland.
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1951 Died
Death of Swedish tenor David Stockman, long associated with the Royal Court Opera in Stockholm, in Stockholm.
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2008 Died
Death of American operatic soprano and voice teacher Ellen Faull, known for her long association with New York City Opera and for creating the role of Abigail Borden in Beeson's 'Lizzie Borden'.
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