Her real name was Odette Hélène Zygomalos. She came to France
as a child and was raised in Paris and Neuilly. At an early age she took dancing
lessons with Loie Fuller. She began her voice studies at the age of 16 and
entered the Paris Conservatoire National (Academy of Music) at 18. She made her
debut at the Opéra-Comique as Tosca in 1936. She scored great successes
at that theatre as Mélisande, Mimi and in the title role in Massenet's
Manon.
She was applauded at the Opéra de Paris as Thaïs, Juliette and
as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust.
She was married to the tenor André
Burdino (1891-1987). Both were engaged by the Chicago Lyric Opera from 1937 to
1940. At that house she sang with great success roles such as Manon, Juliette,
and Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann. She also gave recitals with André
Burdino. She made guest appearances in Brussels, Prague, Zürich, Belgrade,
Athens and Istanbul. She sang Mélisande in Scheveningen in 1939. She
appeared regularly at both Paris Opera Houses during the Second World War. She
was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company from 1947 to 1949 (debut as
Tosca). She only sang three roles, though with great success, at that house: Mélisande,
Tosca and Manon. In 1948 she appeared at the Opera House of Monte Carlo as Thaïs.
She took leave of the stage in 1952. She owed her career not least to the beauty
of her appearance and to her acting skills. Her beautiful lyric soprano voice
has been immortalised on two recordings on HMV.
We are pleased to present her here in Thaïs