Maria Duchêne

Maria Duchêne-Billiard (1884 – April 2, 1947) was a French contralto of the Metropolitan Opera from 1912 to 1916.[1] She portrayed such roles as Amneris in Aida, Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lola in Cavalleria rusticana, Maddalena in Rigoletto. She sang the role of the Old Woman in L'amore dei tre re, Rosette in Manon, Schwertleite in Die Walküre, and the Solo Madrigalist in Manon Lescaut among others.

Maria Duchêne in 1916

Biography
Duchêne arriving in the US in 1907 on the S.S. La Savoie

Duchêne was born in France and arrived in the United States in 1907 at the age of 23, already calling herself an "artiste". In 1910, she created the role of Adah in Naughty Marietta on Broadway.[2]

1912 Metropolitan Opera premiere of Boris Gudonov with Anna Case, Marie Duchène, Adamo Didur as Boris Godunov, and Leonora Sparkes

She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera on March 16, 1912 as La Cieca in Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda with Emmy Destinn in the title role, Enrico Caruso as Enzo, and Arturo Toscanini conducting. She appeared in the American premiere of Boris Godunov as the Nurse in 1912 with Toscanini conducting.[3] On March 12, 1913 she was to sing the role of Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann when she fainted; her role was taken over by madam Fremsted, who had sung the role when it premiered in the United States.[4]

With the company she notably portrayed the role of the Peasant Woman in the United States premiere of Gustave Charpentier's Julien on February 26, 1914. Her mother, Elizabeth Duchêne (1859–1915) died in 1915 of pneumonia just as Duchêne was about to take the stage as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana.[1][5]

Her final and 166th performance with the Met was as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera in an out-of-town performance at the Boston Opera House on April 18, 1916.[6]

On October 7, 19?? she married André Dumont (1896–1942), french harmonium maker at Les Andelys. On August 11, 1937, they divorced.

She died on April 2, 1947.

References
  1. "Sings, With Mother Dying. Mme. Duchene Gets Message Just Before She Appears on Stage". New York Times. February 7, 1915. Retrieved 2011-03-05. Mme. Maria Duchene, the French contralto of the Metropolitan Opera Company, was informed just before she made her entrance last night on the stage in the role of Lola in "Cavalleria Rusticana" that her mother was dying in the French Hospital, where she had been for several days suffering from an attack of pneumonia.
  2. "Maria Duchêne", Playbill, accessed December 4, 2020
  3. "American Premiere of "Boris Godounoff" Wednesday". New York Times. March 12, 1913. Retrieved 2011-03-09. Boris Godounoff, the Russian opera by Moussorgsky, will be the feature of next week's repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera House, where it will have its first American hearing on Wednesday evening. It will be conducted by Mr. Toscanini, and the cast will include Madames Homer, Case, Sparkes, Maubourg, and Duchene, and Messrs. Didur, Althouse, Rothier, Reiss, Bada, De Segurola, Rossi, Audisi, Reschiglian, and Kreidler.
  4. "Fremstad Saves An Opera. Takes Mme. Duchene's Place on a Twenty-Minute Notice" (PDF). New York Times. March 13, 1913. Retrieved 2011-03-09. About fifteen minutes before the curtain rang up on the first act of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" last evening at the Metropolitan Opera House Mr. Gatti-Casazza's telephone rang and he was notified that Mme. Duchene had fainted just as she was starting from home and would be unable to appear as Giulietta in the opera that evening.
  5. "Elizabeth Duchene" (PDF). New York Times. February 11, 1915. Retrieved 2011-03-09. Elizabeth Duchene , mother of Maria Duchene-Billiard of the Metropolitan Opera Company, died Tuesday night at the French Hospital in this city of pneumonia at the age of 56 years. ...
  6. "Marie Duchène". Metropolitan Opera. Retrieved 2011-03-07.
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