Anna Fitziu

American soprano who had a prolific international opera career during the early part of the 20th century. She originally worked under the name "Anna Fitzhugh," taking the last name from an old Virginia family that she was related to. She adopted the stage name "Anna Fitziu" when she made her first opera appearance in 1910 at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy. In 1927 Fitziu retired from the stage after suffering a nervous breakdown. She turned to writing for a time and was able to publish some works of short fiction. She took up teaching singing privately in New York City in 1929. She continued to teach singing for the rest of her life, first in Chicago and then in Los Angeles. Among her notable pupils was Shirley Verrett. Born: 1 April 1887 in Huntington, West Virginia, USA Died: 20 April 1967 in Hollywood, California, USA