Fiorenza Cossotto
Fiorenza Cossotto is an Italian mezzo-soprano, born 22 April 1935 in Crescentino, Vercelli. She studied at the Turin Academy of Music and then with Mercedes Liopart. Her first operatic performance was at La Scala in 1957 as Sister Matilde in the first performance of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites. In 1958 she appeared at Wexford, and in 1959 at Covent Garden. She sang the lead role in La favorita at La Scala in 1962, and this led to increased notice and appearances in the USA - Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1964 and New York Metropolitan Opera in 1968. In total she sang 148 times at The Met.