As a young singer in London, she sang in operas starring
Nellie Melba,
Emma Albani, and
Adelina Patti. She sang the title role of
Carmen in several European cities. Her Berlin debut was in
Don Giovanni. In 1906 she was part of a concert in Prague to raise relief funds after the
1906 San Francisco earthquake. She toured India, China, Singapore, and southeast Asia in 1914. While she was touring in Asia, the soprano
Lillian Nordica died in Indonesia; Kalna was marketed to Nordica's audiences for the rest of her tour. When
World War I began, she returned to the United States, but lost many of her belongings in the haste of her travels. she also gave a benefit concert for Sherbrooke Hospital in Quebec that year. In 1918 she was described as "modishly magnificent" in the
New York Times, when she gave a concert at the Princess Theatre. That same year she appeared in
vaudeville in a production of
The Reclamation by Clifford Parker. In 1922 she was touring the United States as Brünhilde in a production of
Die Walküre, with the United States Opera Company. She also sang for radio concerts in the 1920s. Kalna and her husband wrote songs together, including
Valse Californienne (1918). In 1921 they were both elected trustees of the First Independent Christian Science Church, a breakaway
Christian Science congregation in
New York City, headed by Helena Barwis. == Personal life ==