Anna Fitziu

Anna Fitziu (April 1, 1887 – April 20, 1967) was an American soprano who had a prolific international opera career during the early part of the 20th century. Her signature roles included Fiora in L'amore dei tre re, Mimi in La Boheme, Nedda in Pagliacci, and the title roles in Isabeau, Madama Butterfly, and Tosca. After her singing career ended, she embarked on a second career as a voice teacher. Among her notable pupils was opera singer Shirley Verrett.

She was born as Anna Powell in Huntington, West Virginia on April 1, 1887. Fitziu began her career as a chorus girl and concert soloist in New York City in 1902. At this point in her career she worked under the name "Anna Fitzhugh", taking the last name from an old Virginia family (a member of which included Continental Congress delegate William Fitzhugh) that she was related to. She went to Chicago in early 1903 to portray a number of smaller roles in the musical comedy The Wizard. She remained in Chicago through 1904 appearing in leading roles in operettas and musical comedies like Baroness Fiddlesticks and Sergeant Brue. From 1905 to 1906, she performed on the American vaudeville circuit.

In 1906 Fitziu went to Paris where she studied singing with William Thorn for several years. She adopted the stage name "Anna Fitziu" when she made her first opera appearance in 1910 at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan as Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin. She remained in Italy for the next five years, performing in leading roles at such opera houses as the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the Teatro di San Carlo, the Teatro Massimo, and La Fenice. She also made appearances at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.