Nina Morgana

Nina Morgana (November 15, 1891 – July 8, 1986) was an Italian-American soprano, a protegée of Enrico Caruso, who sang with the Metropolitan Opera for fifteen seasons, from 1920 to 1935.

Nina Morgana, from a 1921 publication.
A caricature of Nina Morgana by Giovanni Viafora, from a 1921 publication.

Early life

Nina Morgana born and raised in Buffalo, New York,[1][2] the daughter of Sicilian immigrants Calogero (Charles) and Concetta Morgana.[3] She was a child performer in the "Venice in America" exhibit[4] at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901.[5] In 1906, she sang at a concert in Buffalo to benefit the survivors of the San Francisco earthquake that year.[6] After an audition with Enrico Caruso when he was in Buffalo to perform a concert, Caruso sent a letter on her behalf to the retired soprano Teresa Arkel, who accepted the young Morgana as a student at her estate in Milan. Morgana studied voice with Arkel from 1909 to 1913.[7]

The soprano’s siblings included Dante J. Morgana, M.D., a prominent eye surgeon based in Buffalo, Charles Morgana, a Ford Motor Company executive selected personally by Henry Ford, and David Morgana, who became a Trappist monk.[8]

Career

During her vocal training in Italy, Teresa Arkel recommended her to conductor Tullio Serafin for the small role of the Forest Bird in a production of “Siegfried” at the Teatro Dal Verme. She appeared in the premiere of Der Rosenkavalier at La Scala in 1911.[3] In 1917-1918, Morgana was a frequent assisting artist (the classical-music equivalent of a secondary role on the stage or in films) with Enrico Caruso during his North American concert tours. [3] She was with the Chicago Opera in the 1919-1920 season.[9][10] She sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1920 to 1935, making her debut as Gilda in Rigoletto.[7] Her other best-known roles were Amina in La Sonnambula, Nedda in Pagliacci, Musetta in La bohème, and Micaela in Carmen.[3] She also gave concerts, including live radio concerts.[11]

In 1926 Morgana sued Chadwick Pictures for a silent film called The Midnight Girl (1925), in which a singer character named "Nina Morgana" is portrayed by actress Dolores Cassinelli as "debauched" and "passé".[12]

Personal life

In 1921, Nina Morgana married Bruno Zirato, Caruso's secretary and later general manager of the New York Philharmonic, where he also served as personal representative of conductor Arturo Toscanini.[13] Caruso, who was in Italy recuperating from a serious illness when Morgana and Zirato were married, served as best man in absentia at their wedding. Caruso suffered a sudden relapse and died in his native Naples on August 2, 1921, only weeks after the wedding. [14] Bruno Zirato died in November, 1972;[15] Nina Morgana died in Ithaca, New York in 1986, aged 94 years, survived by her son, Bruno Zirato Jr. (1922-2008)[7][5], a television producer with Goodson-Todman Associates.

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References
  1. "Nina Morgana" Pan-American Exposition 1901 (University at Buffalo Libraries).
  2. "Nina Morgana, Opera Star, Comes Home to Buffalo After Triumph on Stage" Buffalo Courier (May 18, 1924): 89. via Newspapers.com
  3. "The James A. Drake Interviews: Nina Morgana" Mainspring Press blog (April 20, 2018).
  4. "Nina Morgana ('Little Patti', 'Baby Patti')" Pan-American Women exhibit, University at Buffalo Libraries.
  5. "Nina Morgana, Singer, Toured with Caruso" New York Times (July 11, 1986): 18.
  6. "A Prima Donna at 20" San Francisco Call (April 13, 1913): 6. via Newspapers.com
  7. "Nina Morgana; Diva Who Sang with Caruso" Los Angeles Times (July 12, 1986).
  8. Merton's correspondence with Dante J. Morgana, Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.
  9. James A. Drake, Rosa Ponselle: A Centenary Biography (Hal Leonard Corporation 1997): 201-206. ISBN 9781574670196
  10. "'Earnest Work' – Nina Morgana's Slogan" Musical Courier (July 31, 1919): 12.
  11. "Atwater Kent Guest Artists on Air Tonight" Decatur Herald (January 13, 1929): 13. via Newspapers.com
  12. "Nina Morgana Avers Film Hurt Name; Seeks $25,000" Daily News (January 25, 1926): 6. via Newspapers.com
  13. "Metropolitan Soprano Becomes Bride of Caruso's Secretary" Musical America (June 25, 1921): 3.
  14. Viola Brothers Shore, "Nina Morgana, Successful Metropolitan Opera House Star" Musical Observer (July 1922): 4.
  15. "Bruno Zirato, 88, Caruso Aide Who Headed Philharmonic, Dies" New York Times (November 30, 1972).
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