author
Dame Nellie Melba
1861–1931
One of the great stars of opera’s golden age, she rose from Australia to become an international sensation with a brilliant coloratura soprano voice. Her fame was so wide that even Peach Melba and Melba toast helped keep her name in everyday life.
1 Audiobook
How to Become a Successful Singer
by Dame Clara Butt, Enrico Caruso, Ben Davies, Dame Nellie Melba
About the author
Born Helen Porter Mitchell in Richmond, near Melbourne, on May 19, 1861, she took the stage name Melba from her home city. After early musical study in Australia, she built her career in Europe and became one of the most celebrated opera singers of the late Victorian and early 20th-century world.
She was especially admired for roles in the French and Italian repertory and appeared at major houses including Covent Garden in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Melba was widely regarded as the first Australian classical musician to achieve major international fame, and in 1918 she was made a Dame of the British Empire.
Later in life she returned often to Australia, supported musical life there, and served as president of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She died in Sydney on February 23, 1931, but her voice, legend, and extraordinary public fame still make her one of Australia’s best-known performers.