Fausta Labia

Fausta Labia (3 April 1870 – 6 October 1935) was an Italian operatic soprano who was active mainly from 1892 to 1908. She made her debut in Naples in April 1892 as Valentine in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. After engagements at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm (1893–95) and Lisbon, she returned to Italy where she performed first in Turin, Rome and Bologna. Thereafter notable performances included the title role in Mascagni's Iris at La Fenice in Venice (1900) and Sieglinde in Wagner's Die Walküre at Milan's La Scala (1901).

Early life, education and family Born in Verona on 3 April 1870, Fausta Labia was the daughter of the Venetian count Gianfrancesco Labia and his wife Cecilia née Dabalà who was a singer and voice teacher. Her younger sister Maria became a celebrated opera singer. She was trained by her mother and by the soprano Maria Spezia-Aldighieri. In 1907 she married the tenor Emilio Perea with whom she had a daughter, Gianna Perea-Labia (1908–1994), also an operatic soprano. The marriage was dissolved in 1911.

Career Labia made her debut at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples on 10 April 1892 as Valentine in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. She performed at Verona's Teatro Filarmonico during the 1892–93 season, appearing as Isabelle in Meyerbeer's Robert le diable and as Margherita in Boito's Mefistofele. She spent much of her remaining career at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome where she specialized in Wagner roles. In 1902 she appeared as Brünnhilde in Wagner's Siegfried. After marrying Emilio Perea in 1907, she retired from the stage, but after her divorce in 1911 she appeared one last time in Buenos Aires as Eva in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. She then became a voice teacher in Rome.

Fausta Labia died in Rome on 6 October 1935.