Feb 22, 2016
Tamaki Miura’s 132nd Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
A master of operatic performances in French, German, and Italian, Tamaki Miura was the first internationally heralded Japanese soprano. She was best known for her role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which she performed for enraptured audiences over 2,000 times in theaters from London to San Francisco. As one critic for The Evening Post noted after a 1920 performance in Chicago, her artistry was sensational both “vocally and dramatically”, and “many [in the audience] were in tears.”
To celebrate what would have been Miura’s 132nd birthday, artist Nate Swinehart recalls her most famous role by sketching the singer amid a swirl of butterflies. Check out some of Nate’s early concepts for today’s homepage below. Happy birthday, Tamaki.
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