Elisabeth Dons

Elisabeth Caroline Cathrine Dons (1864–1942) was a Danish operatic mezzo-soprano who performed at the Royal Danish Theatre from 1885. Thanks to training in Paris, she was later able to take on soprano roles, becoming Denmark's operatic prima donna by the 1890s.

Biography Born on 19 April 1864 in Bjergsted in the north east of Zealand, Elisabeth Dons was the daughter of the landowner Captain Julius Dons (1830–1908) and Augusta Mariane Sievers (1833–1908). On the recommendation of a family friend, her parents enrolled her in the Royal Music Conservatory where she studied under two of the best singers of the times, Leocadie Gerlach and Sophie Keller. After hearing her sing one evening, Johan Svendsen, who headed the Royal Danish Orchestra, invited her to complete her studies at the Royal Theatre where she was taught by Emil Poulsen (1842–1911).

Elisabeth Dons died in Taarbæk on 2 May 1942 and is buried in Frederiksberg's Solbjerg Park Cemetery.