Marguerite Belleri
also Margarete Belleri, Gretl Maerkl
Birthplace: Traunstein, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
A German-born mezzo-soprano who sang in the Metropolitan Opera Chorus for fifty-seven years. Born Gretl Maerkl in Traunstein, Bavaria, she was engaged for the Met in 1910 while still a Munich schoolgirl, and made her debut that season in Aida with Caruso. At the first Il trittico in 1918 she created Suor Osmina in Suor Angelica. Her husband, the tenor Lamberto Belleri, also sang in the chorus, as did her sister Lilli for thirty-three years. Her fiftieth anniversary with the company was widely reported, and she retired in 1967. She died at Hempstead, Long Island.
Creations
- Suor Osmina — Suor Angelica (New York, 1918)
Written from
- The New York Times (1967) 'Chorister, 57 Years at Met, Retires', 14 June. (Accessed: 26 September 2026).
- The New York Times (1988) 'Marguerite Belleri, Singer, 64', 6 July. (Accessed: 26 September 2026).
- Time (1960) 'Music: Fifty Years at the Met', 29 February. (Accessed: 26 September 2026).
- Find a Grave (n.d.) Marguerite Maerkl Belleri. (Accessed: 26 September 2026).