t the age of fifteen, giving great promise as a
singer, she entered the New England Conservatory in Boston, Mass., where
she studied voice under John O'Neil. Three years later she graduated
from the Conservatory with honors. She was remarkable for her beauty and
amiability as much as for her voice, which was a soprano of the purest
kind. During her years of study at the Conservatory she gained much
experience by singing in church and in concerts, and for a time she
accompanied Samuel R. Kelley's Tableaux d'Art Company, receiving for her
services as vocalist the modest compensation of five dollars an evening.

[Illustration: _Nordica._]

On leaving the Conservatory, she was invited to sing in concerts in
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, St. Louis, and New York, where she
took leading parts in the oratorios of "Elijah," "Creation," "Messiah,"
etc. In 1873 she was engaged for a concert tour in England, Scotland,
Ireland, Belgium, Holland, and France, during which her repertoire
consisted of classical music only. During this tour she sang at the
Crystal Palace, near London, and at the Trocadero in Paris. She then
went to Milan, where she studied opera under Signor Sangiovanni, and
made her operatic debut at Brescia, in "Traviata."

In October, 1880, she was engaged at Genoa for fifteen performances of
"Faust," in which she took the part of Marguerite. She next sang at
Novara, where she took the part of Alice in "Roberto," and was
afterwards engaged for thirty-five performances at Aquila in "Faust,"
"Rigoletto," and "Lucia."

Her next engagement was in St. Petersburg, where she sang in
"L'Africaine," taking the role of Inez, in "The Marriage of Figaro" as
Cherubino, in "Mignon" as Filina, in "Ugonotti" as Queen Marguerite, in
"Don Giovanni" as Zerlina, and in "Il Propheto" as Berta, besides other
operas. Thus she acquired in a comparatively short time, and by dint of
extremely hard work, quite an extensive repertoire.

In 1882 she endured the crucial test of the Grand Opera House in Paris,
where, in spite of the "Claque," which is so frequently organized to
kill off new singers, she made a grand success, and an engagement for
three years ensued. Some years later, however, in spite of the renown
which she had gained, fickle Paris grew cold, and critics were laconic.
At this time Nordica did not need the approval of Paris, for she was
well established among the great singers of the period, and it is
recognized that, wh