Lilli Lehmann

Born in Würzburg in 1848, Lilli Lehmann grew up in a musical family and studied first with her mother. She made her stage debut in Prague in 1865 and soon joined the Royal Opera in Berlin, where she built a reputation in both German and Italian repertory.

Over time, she became especially celebrated for Wagner roles, including Isolde, and sang at the first Bayreuth Festival. She also appeared widely outside Germany, including in London and at the Metropolitan Opera, where she helped bring major Wagner performances to American audiences. Critics and audiences admired not just the power of her voice, but her dramatic intelligence and range.

Lehmann was also an influential teacher and writer. Her book How to Sing helped pass on her ideas about vocal technique, and her long career made her a bridge between the operatic world of the mid-1800s and the early 20th century. She died in 1929, leaving behind a legacy as one of the great German sopranos of her era.