Frances Davis Alda was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic lyric soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality, as well as her frequent onstage partnerships at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, with Enrico Caruso.
Alda circa 1920
Frances Alda relaxing away from the stage, 1909
1920 newspaper advertisement for an Alda concert at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis, USA.
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as the general manager. The company's music director has been Yannick Nézet-Séguin since 2018.
Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, home of the Metropolitan Opera
Full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at a concert by pianist Josef Hofmann, November 28, 1937
Auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center
Gold curtain, a gift of the Metropolitan Opera Club, in the auditorium
