Teresa Arkel

Teresa Arkel (1861 or 1862 – July 1929), born Therese Blumenfeld, was a Ukrainian-born, Austrian-trained opera singer, based in Milan.

Teresa Arkel
Teresa Arkel, from about 1896
Born	Therese Blumenfeld 1861 or 1862 Lemberg, Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austrian Empire
Died	July 1929 Milan, Kingdom of Italy
Occupation(s)	Opera vocalist, voice teacher

Early life

Therese Blumenfeld was born in Lemberg, now Lviv, Ukraine, the daughter of Emanuel Blumenfeld. Her family was Jewish; her father was a prominent lawyer and community leader.^[1] She trained as a singer in Vienna with Luise Dustmann. Her nephew was radiologist Paul Lazarus [de].

Career

Arkel, a dramatic soprano known for her impressive range and technique,^[2] made her operatic debut in 1884, in Les Huguenots. In 1885 she was on the opera stage in Warsaw, appearing in Aida, Il trovatore, and L'Africaine. She sang throughout Europe, from Bilbao and Paris to Prague and Budapest.^[3][4] In 1890 she was the first to perform the lead role in Emilio Serrano's Doña Juana la Loca, in Madrid.^[5] She also sang in Buenos Aires, in 1894, in Otello and Lohengrin. In 1898, she was the first to perform the lead role in Zygmunt Noskowski's Livia Quintilla, in her hometown.^[6]

After her stage career, she became a prominent voice teacher in Milan and made several recordings between 1903 and 1905.^[7][8] Her students included Phyllis Wolfe,^[9] Tina Desana,^[10] Nina Gale,^[11] Inez Wilson,^[12] and Nina Morgana,^[13][14].

Personal life

Therese Blumenfeld married Sigmund Arkel. They had two children. Arkel died in Milan in 1929, in her late sixties. Her voice was included on The Record of Singing, a compilation of early recordings published in 1977.