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December 14 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on December 14, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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Premieres & milestones

1899 Premiere
Premiere on the Russian stage of Hector Berlioz's opera 'Les Troyens à Carthage' (acts 3–5) at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, performed in Russian translation.
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1918 Premiere
World premiere of Giacomo Puccini's triptych 'Il trittico'—the one-act operas 'Il tabarro', 'Suor Angelica', and 'Gianni Schicchi'—at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
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1918 Premiere
Individual world premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York of Puccini's one-act operas 'Suor Angelica' and 'Gianni Schicchi', the second and third parts of 'Il trittico'.
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1925 Premiere
World premiere of Alban Berg's opera 'Wozzeck' at the Berlin State Opera, conducted by Erich Kleiber.
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1981 Premiere
Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera of Franco Zeffirelli's now-classic production of Puccini's 'La bohème', in the house's 823rd performance of the opera.
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Births & deaths

1883 Born
Birth of Greek composer Manolis Kalomiris in Smyrna, later a central figure of Greek national opera and founder of the Greek National School of Music.
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1924 Born
Birth of Armenian coloratura soprano Gohar Gasparyan in Cairo, later celebrated as the 'Armenian nightingale' and a leading figure of the Yerevan Opera Theatre.
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1930 Born
Birth of Italian soprano Rosanna Carteri in Verona, who became known for major roles at La Scala and other leading opera houses in the 1950s and 1960s.
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1976 Born
Birth of American soprano Camille Zamora, noted for her work in opera, zarzuela, oratorio, and art song.
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2014 Died
Death of American mezzo-soprano Irene Dalis in San Jose, California, renowned for her Wagnerian roles and long association with major opera houses.
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2014 Died
Death of American opera singer Janis Martin, a mezzo-soprano and later soprano acclaimed for her interpretations of Richard Wagner's heroines.
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