Maria burst onto the world's opera stage with a storybook entrance-she stepped into a sick soprano's part in Tosca when she was only eighteen, and brought down the house. Callas wowed critics and fans alike with the intense emotion and artistry of her performance.

Maria didn't just sing her roles, or even simply act them-she lived them with a kind of intensity that the opera world had been missing, and she became known for her incredibly exciting performances. Soon, her performances set the standard for almost every role she portrayed, and her imperfect voice seemed only to enhance the emotion of her singing. Her vitality brought new popularity to opera and new life to many older operas that had long been neglected.

By the time she was 24, Callas was all the rage. She was performing an impressive fifty times a year to sold-out opera houses and by 1951, she'd established herself as prima donna at La Scala, Milan's leading opera house.

During her later years, her greatest contribution came in the master classes she taught in the early 1970s at the Juilliard School in New York City. As a teacher, Callas imparted the wisdom of a diva to young singers. Her classes became legendary and later were immortalized in Terrance McNally's Broadway play, Master Class.

Excerpted from the book Cool Women with permission of publisher, Girl Press.

Learn More About Maria Callas
Maria Callas Roles
http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~type40/callas/index.htm
A page detailing Maria's various roles with pictures and information on each.

Arias
http://www.geocities.com/callas_arias/
Hear and read information about her music.

Divas: Maria Callas
http://home2.planetinternet.be/verjans/Singing_Divas/Maria_Callas.htm
Is Maria your favorite diva? Read her story, see her personal quotes, learn trivia, find out her nickname, and check out the gallery of photos and memorabilia.

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