Ada Navarrete ( Mérida, Yucatán, July 20, 1890 —

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

, August 13, 1967), also seen as Ada Navarrete Tappan and Ada Navarrete de Carrasco, was a soprano opera singer from

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

, Mexico.

Early life

Ada Navarrete was from

Mérida, Yucatán Mérida () is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and the largest city in southeastern Mexico. The city is also the seat of the eponymous Municipality. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula, about 35 km (22 m ...

, the daughter of Rodolfo Navarrete Sosa (a lawyer) and Leonor Tappan Polanco. Dates of her birth vary from 1880 to 1893 in sources."New Prima Donna Coloratura from Yucatan"
''Musical Courier'' (August 23, 1917): 18.

Career

Navarrete, a coloratura soprano, began as an professional singer in

. She headlined her own touring company, managed by her husband.Mariano del Cueto
"Ada Navarrete: La soprano mexicana que cantó con Caruso"
''Pro Ópera'' (September 2015): 38–40. She became a member of the Boston Grand Opera in 1917, promoted along with

Tamaki Miura , was a Japanese opera singer who performed as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly''. Early life Miura was born the first daughter of Shibata Mōho and Shibata Towa () on February 22, 1884 in Tokyo, Japan. Shibata, a music lover had hi ...

by opera impresario

Max Rabinoff Max A. Rabinoff (March 9, 1877 – April 19, 1966) was a Russian-born, naturalized American opera and ballet impresario and international economic adviser. By the time he had become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1898 he had already started an int ...

, to emphasize Boston's international company. Her American debut came as Gilda in ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'' that year. "Navarrete's voice is rather light in the lower register," explained one critic, "but this is more than atoned for by its marked sweetness in the upper." She also sang the parts of Lucia in ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'' in 1917. She had a contract with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

in New York, and sang with Enrico Caruso when he toured Mexico in 1919. She also sang in Havana and Montreal.

Personal life

Ada Navarrete married Honorato Carrasco. They had six children, including two daughters who became actresses,

Ada Carrasco Ada Carrasco (14 September 1912 – 5 April 1994) was a Mexican film and television actress. Early life Carrasco was born in Mexico City, the daughter of Honorato Carrasco, an engineer, and the opera star Ada Navarrete. Career Carrasco s ...

(1912–1994) and

Queta Carrasco Queta Carrasco (July 4, 1913 — August 8, 1996) was a Mexican character actress. Early life Enriqueta Carrasco Navarrete was born in Mexico City, the daughter of Honorato Carrasco and Ada Navarrete. Her father was an engineer and her mother was ...

(1913–1996). Navarrete died in 1967, in Mexico City.Fernando Muñoz Castillo
"Adda Navarrete, la distinta prima donna"
''Por Esto!''.

References

External links

* Jaime Said

''Said Retro'' (October 4, 2014). {{DEFAULTSORT:Navarrete, Ada Singers from Yucatán (state) Year of birth uncertain 1890 births 1967 deaths Mexican operatic sopranos People from Mérida, Yucatán 20th-century Mexican women opera singers