Lily Pons

Lily Pons (born Alice-Josephine) began her musical studies at the piano and attended the Paris Conservatory. When Albert di Gorostiaga heard her sing, he persuaded her that singing was where her true talent lay and she began studying with him at the Conservatory. She made her debut in 1917 in a concert at Paris. She continued studying for 10 more years, making her operatic debut in Mulhouse as Lakmé. She appeared in many provincial French opera houses where she came to the attention of Italian tenor Giovanni Zenatello and his wife Maria Gay. They assisted Pons in obtaining an ...