Freni, Mirella (1935– )

Italian soprano. She made her debut at Modena in 1955, as Micaela, and appeared at Glyndebourne 1960–62 as Zerlina, Susanna, and Adina. She has sung at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, since 1961 as Nannetta and Violetta and made her US debut in Chicago in 1963 as Marguerite. She sang Mimi at La Scala in Milan in 1963, and on her New York Metropolitan Opera House debut in 1965. In 1976 she toured the USA with the Paris Opéra Company. Her later and heavier roles include Amelia Boccanegra, Elisabeth de Valois (which she performed in Salzburg, with Karajan), Butterfly, and Manon. She returned to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1993, as Giordano's Fedora.