Emma Albani by Unknown

Emma Albani, born Marie-Louise-Emma-Cécile Lajeunesse (1847-1930); Canadian soprano. She was born in Chambly (Canada) but in 1865 the family moved to Albany/New-York. When she in 1870 made her European debut at Messina in Bellini’s “La Somnambula” she used the surname “Albani” (dereived from Albany). In Europe she studied singing with Gilbert-Louis Duprez in Paris and with Francesco Lamperti in Milan. In 1872 she made her London debut at Covent Garden, also as Amina in “La Somnambula”. The year after she sang in Paris at the Théâtre-Italien. She had an important international career; she performed at St. Petersburg, Moscow, Berlin, Brussels, Milan etc.
In 1878 she married Ernest Gye (son of Frederick Gye who was director of Covent Garden from 1849-1877). In 1891 she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New-York as Valentine in “Les Huguenots”. She retired from the stage in 1896.
In 1911 she published her memoires in the book “Forty years of song”.