Galli-Curci made her operatic debut in 1906 at
Trani as Gilda in
Giuseppe Verdi's
Rigoletto. In 1908, she made her first appearance in Rome as Bettina in
Bizet's
Don Procopio, and she soon became acclaimed throughout Italy for the sweetness and agility of her voice and her captivating musical interpretations. She was seen by many critics as an antidote to the host of squally,
verismo-oriented sopranos then populating Italian opera houses. Galli-Curci toured widely in Europe, Russia and South America. In 1915, she sang two performances of
Lucia di Lammermoor with
Enrico Caruso in
Buenos Aires. These were to be her only operatic appearances with the great
tenor, though they later appeared in concert and made a few recordings together. Galli-Curci and Caruso also acted as godparents for the son of the Sicilian tenor
Giulio Crimi. Galli-Curci toured extensively as a concert artist throughout her career, including a 1924 tour of Great Britain (she never sang in an opera there), where she appeared in 20 cities, and a concert tour of Australia in 1925.
United States In the autumn of 1916, Galli-Curci first arrived in the United States virtually unknown. Her stay in the US was intended to be brief, but the acclaim she received for her historic American debut as Gilda in
Rigoletto in Chicago on 18 November 1916 (her 34th birthday) was so wildly enthusiastic that she accepted an offer to extend her association with the
Chicago Opera Association, where she appeared until the end of the 1924 season. Also in 1916, Galli-Curci signed a recording contract with the
Victor Talking Machine Company and made her first records a few weeks before her American debut. She recorded exclusively for Victor until 1930. On 14 November 1921, while still under contract with the Chicago Opera, Galli-Curci made her debut at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York as Violetta in
La traviata, opposite tenor
Beniamino Gigli as Alfredo. She was one of the few singers of that era who were contracted to both opera companies simultaneously. Galli-Curci remained at the Met until her retirement from the operatic stage nine years later. In 1922, Galli-Curci built a country estate in
Highmount, New York, which she called "
Sul Monte". She spent the summers there for several years until selling the property in 1937.
A theater erected in the nearby village of
Margaretville was named in her honor. She returned the favour by performing on its opening night. Sul Monte was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2010. == Vocal decline and retirement from opera==