Born
Eva Pichlíková in
Prague, Likova studied to be a
ballerina before studying singing at the
Prague Conservatory with Nektar de Flondor. She made her professional opera debut in 1943 as Mařenka in
Bedřich Smetana's
The Bartered Bride at the
Brno National Theatre where she was committed for two years. From 1945 through 1947 she worked as a principal artist at the
Prague National Theatre. She also made a handful of appearances in European films and worked as a dramatic actress and ballet dancer during the early 1940s. In 1947 Likova came to the United States on a two-year contract with the Detroit Symphony. She first performed in the USA as a concert singer, making her American debut on February 6, 1947 with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra under conductor
Karl Krueger. In 1948 she received critical acclaim after appearing with the
New York Philharmonic under the direction of
Alfredo Antonini before an audience of over 14,000 at the landmark
Lewisohn Stadium performing selections from
Giacomo Puccini's
Madama Butterfly and
Ruggero Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci. In 1949 made her American opera debut as Violetta in
Giuseppe Verdi's
La traviata at the
New York City Opera (NYCO). She remained committed to the NYCO up through 1957, portraying such roles as Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Don Giovanni, Gilda in Verdi's
Rigoletto, Liù in
Giacomo Puccini's
Turandot, Marguerite in
Charles Gounod's
Faust (opposite
Norman Treigle), Micaela in
Georges Bizet's
Carmen, Musetta in Puccini's
La bohème, Nedda in
Ruggero Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci, Olympia in
Jacques Offenbach's
The Tales of Hoffmann and the title role in
Jules Massenet’s
Manon. She returned to the NYCO as a guest artist a number of times up through 1965, with her last performance with the company being Giorgetta in Puccini's
Il tabarro. Likova was active as a guest artist with opera companies throughout the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953 she made her debut with the
Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company as Violetta to the Alfredo of
Walter Fredericks and Germont of
Cesare Bardelli under conductor
Giuseppe Bamboschek. She later appeared with the
Philadelphia Grand Opera Company as Nedda (1956), Gilda (1957), Adina in
Gaetano Donizetti's ''
L'elisir d'amore'' (1958), Lisette in Puccini's
La rondine (1960), Marienka (1960), Musetta (1964), Micaëla (1964), and Nedda (1966). In 1954 she appeared as Zerbinetta in
Richard Strauss's
Ariadne auf naxos at the
Central City Opera. In 1955 she sang Arsena in
Johann Strauss II's
The Gypsy Baron at the
Lewisohn Stadium under conductor
Julius Rudel and portrayed Euridice in
Christoph Willibald Gluck's
Orfeo ed Euridice at the
Newport Music Festival with
Martha Lipton as Orfeo. In 1956, she sang Dircé in the
American Opera Society's production of
Luigi Cherubini's
Médée at
Carnegie Hall with
Eileen Farrell in the title role and
Arnold Gamson conducting. In 1959, Likova portrayed Oscar in
Un ballo in maschera, opposite
Herva Nelli and
Richard Tucker, for the Opera Guild of Miami. In 1961 Likova sang Violetta at the
Opera Company of Boston with
John Alexander as Alfredo and
Igor Gorin as Germont under the baton of
Sarah Caldwell. That same year she portrayed Liù to
Lucille Udovick's Turandot at the
San Francisco Opera. She also gave performances at the
Pittsburgh Opera and
New Orleans Opera among others. She was also active as a concert singer, appearing with such orchestras as the
New York Philharmonic and the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On the international stage she appeared at the
Canadian Opera Company, the
Great Theatre, Warsaw, the
Liceu, the
Palacio de Bellas Artes, the
Vienna State Opera, the
Opéra National de Paris, and with a number of opera houses in Germany and Italy. She was also highly active in filming operatic productions for television in the early 1950s with both NBC and CBC. After the end of the 1965-1966 season, Likova retired from performing. She joined the faculty of the
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where she taught singing until her retirement in 1983. She later taught privately in both New York City and Philadelphia until returning to Michigan where she lived in
Southfield until her death of complications of
Alzheimer's disease at the age of 84. ==References==