Maria de Francesca-Cavazza was born with the name Maria Teresa Cavazza in
Trieste,
Italy on August 1, 1937. She immigrated with her family to the United States in her early childhood. In 1961, she won the
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Germany to pursue further studies at the
Hochschule für Musik Köln with Margarete Düren. ==References==