Born: 17 May 1906, Croatia
Died: 30 May 1989
Country most active: International
Also known as: Mira Zinka Teresa Kunç
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).
Dramatic soprano (vocal range of Middle C to high D) Zinka Milanov was a pupil of Milka Ternina, among others. Her 1927 debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore in Ljubljana, Slovenia, launched her career. Milanov sang in Czech and Yugoslav theaters until 1937, when she was invited to perform in Dresden, Vienna, and Salzburg. The Metropolitan Opera engaged her that same year to replace Rosa Ponselle, who had just retired. Early in her career, she had a tendency to sing sharp and much of her work lacked discipline. In later years she was a more controlled singer in the grand manner of the Old Italian school, her pianissimo (very soft) singing being especially notable. Milanov performed with the major American opera companies as well as at La Scala and Covent Garden.