Rosita Serrano

Who was Rosita Serrano?

Rosita Serrano was a Chilean singer who had her biggest success in Nazi Germany between the 1930s and the early 1940s. Because of her bell-like voice and pitch-perfect whistling she received the nickname Chilenische Nachtigall.

Rosita Serano was born in Viña del Mar, Chile on 10 June 1914. Her father Héctor Aldunate was in the diplomatic service. With her mother Sofía del Campo who was a popular opera singer she moved to Europe in the early 1930s. Initially they lived in Portugal and France but by 1936 they moved to Berlin. Serrano had her first successes in the Wintergarten and the Metropol Theater where she performed Chilean folk songs. During that time she was discovered by German composer Peter Kreuder who managed that she got a record contract at the German Telefunken. Henceforth she performed in the German language including popular songs like Roter Mohn, Schön die Musik, Küß mich, bitte, bitte, küß mich, Und die Musik spielt dazu, Der Onkel Jonathan, and Der kleine Liebesvogel. By 1938 she received roles in the revue films Es leuchten die Sterne, Bel Ami, Der vierte kommt nicht, Die kluge Schwiegermutter, Herzensfreud – Herzensleid and Anita und der Teufel. Her appearance in Herzensfreud – Herzensleid was in a co-starring role with actor Paul Hoerbiger. Between film shoots, she went on tour with two popular dance orchestras, one led by Kurt Hohenberger and the other by Teddy Stauffer. Due to the intercession of Joseph Goebbels, she got gigs in the radio show Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht. In 1940 she recorded the very popular song La Paloma, heard throughout Germany.