Origins & Early Life

Teresa Stolz (born Tereza Stolzová; 2 June 1834 – 23 August 1902) was a Czech spinto soprano. For long she was a resident in Italy and was associated with significant performances of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, some with his supervision including Aida in the first performance in Italy, and the soprano part in his Requiem. She was his companion from 1897. Stolz has been described as "the Verdian dramatic soprano par excellence, powerful, passionate in utterance, but dignified in manner and secure in tone and control".

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Tereza Stolzová was born in Kostelec nad Labem in Bohemia, Austrian Empire (now in the Czech Republic) on 2 June 1834, or 5 June. She grew up in a musical, with eight siblings. She studied voice with Josef Neruda (1804–1876), a cellist in her hometown, and further at the Prague Conservatory with Giovanni Battista Gardigiani from 1849. She was expelled from the Conservatoire in October 1851 but continued her studies with Vojtěch Čaboun. She moved to Trieste to be with her brother; she studied there from 1856 with Luigi Ricci, who had conducted the 1848 premiere of Verdi's Il corsaro, and would become her brother-in-law.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

She made her operatic debut...

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