Antonietta Stella, 1929–2022

The Metropolitan Opera mourns the death of Antonietta Stella, whose passionate interpretations of Italian heroines lit up the company’s stage for four seasons from 1956 to 1960. Her debut as Aida in 1956 established her as a major singer at the Met, even at a time when several celebrated sopranos held the public's attention. She sang the title role of Madama Butterfly in a landmark production by Yoshio Aoyama to acclaim in 1958, and also starred in the premiere of a new Il Trovatore in 1959. Stella’s roles with the company also included Tosca, Violetta in La Traviata, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, and Maddalena in Andrea Chénier.