Milka Ternina

Milka Trnina (born Katarina Milka Trnina, pronounced ; 19 December 1863 – 18 May 1941 ) was a Croatian dramatic soprano who enjoyed a high reputation in major American and European opera houses. Praised by audiences and music critics alike for the electrifying force of her acting and the excellence of her singing in both German and Italian works, her career was curtailed at its peak in 1906 by a medical condition which paralyzed a nerve in her face.

Early life and education A native of Vezišće The ailment did not yield to medical treatment and she decided to retire from the stage at the height of her powers, as she believed it was no longer possible for her to maintain the highest level of performance.

Ternina died in Zagreb in 1941, aged 77. She did not make any commercial recordings of her voice but fragments of her singing can be discerned on Mapleson Cylinders recorded live at the Met at the start of the 20th century. These are available on a CD re-issue by Symposium Records (catalogue number 1284).