Emmy Destinn
also Ema Destinnová, Emilie Kittlová, Emilie Pavlína Jindřiška Kittlová
Birthplace: Prague, Austria-Hungary
A Czech soprano, who sang leading roles in Berlin, London and New York, and whose patriotism made her a national figure. Born Emilie Kittlová in Prague, she studied with Marie Loewe-Destinn and took her teacher's name. She made her Berlin debut in 1898 as Santuzza and stayed a decade, adding Senta at Bayreuth in 1901, Donna Anna at Covent Garden in 1904 and Aida at the Metropolitan Opera in 1908, where she created Minnie in La fanciulla del West. Her Czech sympathies cost her her passport, and she spent the war interned at her castle at Stráž nad Nežárkou.
Creations
- Minnie — La fanciulla del West
Written from
- Shawe-Taylor, D. (1992) 'Destinn [Kittl], Emmy [Destinnová, Ema]', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1137-1138.
- Wikipedia (2026) Emmy Destinn. (Accessed: 20 September 2026).