Born: 12 August 1892, Germany
Died: 17 May 1969
Country most active: International
Also known as: Maria Olczewska, Marie Berchtenbreitner
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).
Born in a Bavarian village, Maria Olszewska chose her stage name from the Munich phone book. She made her debut in 1915 in Krefeld, and was then signed by the Hamburg Staatsoper. Vienna and Munich followed, and her world career began in Spain. She performed in Argentina, the Balkans, London, and then Chicago from 1928 to 1932. The Metropolitan Opera inherited her from the bankrupt Chicago Civic Opera. Although her voice was a strong, and rather colorless, mezzo, it was her acting that made her performances memorable. Olszewska knew the value of pose and repose, although she could be tempestuous.