Born: 15 October 1905, Italy
Died: 10 July 1983
Country most active: Italy, United States
Also known as: Bruna Catacchio
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Bruna Castagna joined the Metropolitan Opera’s popular-priced spring season of 1935 as the second great Italian mezzo-soprano since Sofia Scalchi. Her voice was sumptuous and her acting acceptable, although her own costumes sometimes were considered to verge on the vulgar. During her ten years in New York, Castagna rarely gave an unsatisfactory performance. She sang with many companies in the United States, including the Cleveland Orchestra Opera Company, the St. Louis Company, and at the Cincinnati Zoo Opera.