Elen Dosia (1915 – 10 May 2002), born Hélène Odette Zygomala, sometimes known as Ellen Dosia, was a French opera singer of Greek origin. Dosia was born in Istanbul, then in the Ottoman Empire. She became a soprano singer, and enjoyed her first major success at age 20 with the title part in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

''. She quickly became one of the most popular singers at

Opéra Garnier The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at ...

and

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

, where she performed from 1935 through 1952. Before World War II she was described as "the most popular singer in the world". She appeared often in Massenet operas, performing in ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

'' and '' Thaïs'', and appearing at the June 1942 Massenet Gala singing the title role in a

tableau Tableau (French for 'little table' literally, also used to mean 'picture'; : tableaux or, rarely, tableaus) may refer to: Arts * ''Tableau'', a series of four paintings by Piet Mondrian titled '' Tableau I'' through to ''Tableau IV'' * '' Tableau ...

of ''

Esclarmonde ''Esclarmonde'' () is an opéra () in four acts and eight Tableau vivant, tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis de Gramont, Louis Ferdinand de Gramont. It was first performed at th ...

''. In 1951 she appeared in the documentary ''Of Men and Music'', singing excerpts from Salome's part in '' Hérodiade''. On 15 November 1947 Dosia debuted at the

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

as Tosca to Jan Peerce's Cavaradossi and Frank Valentino's Scarpia with Giuseppe Antonicelli conducting. Her performance was relatively poorly received; reviews were critical, and after only five performances (in both ''Tosca'' and ''Manon'', and as Mélisande in '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' the following season), she retired from the stage in 1952. Thereafter Dosia concentrated on her family life.

Recordings

* ''Thaïs'' (Malibran Music, Gressier, Paris 1944) ''Thaïs'' with Elen Dosia at amazon.com
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References

External links

* French operatic sopranos 1915 births 2002 deaths French people of Greek descent 20th-century French women opera singers Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to France {{France-opera-singer-stub