The first American singer to perform at New York's famed Metropolitan Opera House without European training was Rosa Ponselle. Born Rosa Ponzillo in Connecticut, "the Cinderella of Opera," made her debut at the Met in 1918 when she was 21 in Verdi's La Forza del Destino, opposite Enrico Caruso after being discovered in vaudeville.

She played over 20 roles in her 19-year career at the Met, retiring in 1936 to marry and teach. She died in 1981 at age 83.

Source: NIAF