Emma Albani

Trained in Montreal and Paris by François Delsarte, Emma Lajeunesse adopted the stage name 'Emma Albani' in honor of Albany, New York, where she sang in church choirs. In 1872, her Covent Garden debut as Amina in Bellini's La Sonnambula was an international triumph.

Albani conquered the opera capitals of the world—London, Milan, Paris, St. Petersburg, and New York—singing thirty-six major soprano roles and becoming an early champion of Richard Wagner's operas. In 1925, King George V made her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.