Van Zandt, Marie
Van Zandt, Marie
Van Zandt, Marie, American soprano; b. N.Y., Oct. 8, 1858; d. Cannes, Dec. 31, 1919. She studied with her mother, the well-known American soprano Jennie van Zandt, and with Lamperti, making her operatic debut as Zerlina in Turin (Jan. 1879). Her first appearance in London followed later that year as Amina at Her Majesty’s Theatre; she then sang with notable success at the Paris Opéra-Comique (1880-85). She made her U.S. debut as Amina in Chicago on Nov. 13,1891, which role she sang at her Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Dec. 21, 1891, where she sang for one season. She continued to tour as a guest artist until her marriage in 1898. Delibes wrote the role of Lakmé for her, which she created at the Opéra-Comique on April 14,1883. Among her other roles were Cherubino, Dinorah, and Mignon.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire