Gigliola Frazzoni

Italian soprano Gigliola Frazzoni was born in Bologna on 22 February 1923. Her singing teachers included Blanche Marchesi.

Following her debut at Teatro Comunale Bologna as Mimi in La bohème, she began to sing at major opera houses throughout Italy. From 1954 onwards, she also sang internationally, including roles in Bordeaux, Cairo, Dublin, Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna, Wiesbaden and Zurich. In 1957 she sang Mère Marie in the first performance of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites. She excelled in dramatic roles, especially in Giordano, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Puccini and Verdi.

Gigliola Frazzoni died on 3 December 2016, aged ninety-three.