March 17 — On This Day in Opera

This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on March 17, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.

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1665

Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre was baptized in Paris; she would later become the first woman to compose an opera in France.

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1833

World premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera "Parisina d'Este" at the Teatro della Pergola (Florence).

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1847

World premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s "I masnadieri" at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London.

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1862

Death of French opera composer Fromental Halévy in Nice.

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1879

World premiere of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera "Eugene Onegin" at the Maly Theatre in Moscow (performed by students of the Moscow Conservatory).

Eugene Onegin

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1902

World premiere of Jules Massenet’s "Le jongleur de Notre-Dame" at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

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1910

World premiere of Umberto Giordano’s one-act opera "Mese mariano" at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.

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1914

Premiere of Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera "I Mori di Valenza" at the Théâtre du Casino in Monaco.

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1919

Death of Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer best known for the opera "Pagliacci".

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1938

Birth of German bass Kurt Moll, celebrated for roles such as Sarastro in "Die Zauberflöte" and King Marke in "Tristan und Isolde".

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1967

World premiere of Marvin David Levy’s opera "Mourning Becomes Electra" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

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1996

Death of French tenor Georges Thill, renowned interpreter of roles such as Don José in "Carmen".

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