Ada Sari

Who was Ada Sari?

Ada Sari was a Polish opera singer, actress, and educator. One of the leading coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a large, resonant voice with a clear timbre. Her career took her to the stages of the best opera houses and concert halls in Europe during the first half of the 20th century. Her signature roles included Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La bohème, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Violetta in La traviata, and the title roles in Lakmé and Lucia di Lammermoor. She also gave lauded concert tours in North and South America.

Sari enjoyed a great deal of popularity among audiences and critics and she was dubbed "The Queen of coloratura" and the "new Patti" by the Italian press. During her career she appeared opposite many famous singers, including Mattia Battistini, Beniamino Gigli, Aureliano Pertile, Titta Ruffo and Tito Schipa to name a just a few. She collaborated with many well known conductors like Sergei Koussevitzky, Tullio Serafin, and Arturo Toscanini. She also appeared in concert with many well-known performers, such as Fritz Kreisler, Wilhelm Backhaus, and Pablo Casals.