Dame Nellie Melba

By theadventuresofryanandfriends

  • Birth

    Dame Nellie Melba was born on this day by the name, Helen Porter Mitchell at the town of Richmond (near Melbourne).

  • Married

    Dame Nellie Melba got married to Charles Nisbett Frederick Armstrong. However, they got divorced in 1900 when she met Philippe, Duke of Orleans.

  • Australian debut as a singer

    On the 17th of May 1884, Dame Nellie Melba made her début at a Liedertafel concert at the Melbourne Town Hall

  • Began to get recognition

    She went to Europe in order to gain recognition to but it took 20 years to return to her homeland to perform.

  • Continued to gain her status

    Australia has produced several internationally -renowned stars. Dame Nellie Melba was one of them.

  • International debut

    Dame Nellie Melba made her début as an opera singer at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, on 13 October 1887.
  • Started performing as an opera singer internationally

    Started performing as an opera singer internationally

    Dame Nellie Melba made her Paris début as Ophélie in Hamlet on 8 May 1889.

  • Named after some dishes

    The Dame gave her name to several dishes by a restautranteur from France including the Melba toats abd the dessert Peach Melba.
  • Began to establish the gramophone.

    Began to establish the gramophone.

    Melba began recording. She issued over one hundred records and helped to establish the gramophone.

  • First Live Public Entertainment Broadcast

    On this day Dame Nellie Melba made her first live public broadcast.

  • Her official farewell to opera at Australia.

    Dame Nellie Melba had announced her Australian farewell to grand opera

  • Her last international performance

    Dame Nellie Melba made her official "farewell" to opera at the Covent Garden on 8 June 1926
  • Performed the Australian Anthem

    Performed the Australian Anthem

    On 9 May, she was in Canberra to sing the National Anthem and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ at the opening of Federal Parliament.
  • Period: to

    Her last operatic performances

    The start date was where she performed at Sydney for the last time and on the end date was where she performed for the last time at her hometown, Melbourne.

  • Her last Australian performance

    On 2 October 1928, Melba sang for the last time on the operatic stage in Australia in a program consisting of three acts of La Bohème and a scene from Act 4 of Otello.

  • Dame Nellie Melba was hospitalized at St. Vincent's Hospital but died from septicaemia, which had developed from facial surgery in Europe some weeks before. Her death shocked many Australians during that era. She was 71.