Fanny Heldy

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Fanny Heldy (February 29, 1888 - December 13, 1973) was a Belgian-born opera soprano.

Born 'Marguerite Virginie Emma Clémentine Deceuninck in Ath, Hainaut, Belgium, after graduating from the Liége Conservatoire, she made her debut at the La Monnaie in 1910. Between 1914 and 1918 she sang a number of major roles at Monte Carlo, making her first Paris appearance at the Opéra-Comique in 1917 the as "Violetta" in La traviata and as "Juliette" in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Paris Opéra in 1920. In 1923 Fanny Heldy made the historic first recording of the opera Manon for Pathé Records. Conducted by Henri Büsser, she sang with tenor Jean Marny as "Roméo."

For more than twenty years, Fanny Heldy was France's leading opera star while also gaining international recognition through her performances at La Scala in Milan and at the Royal Opera House in London. She retired in 1939, residing at Château de Mivoisin, a 36 square kilometre property located 1½ hours south of Paris in Dammarie-sur-Loing, Loiret.

Fanny Heldy married business tycoon Marcel Boussac whose holdings included the House of Dior. A thoroughbred horse racing fan, her husband operated one of the most successful stables in racing history and she owed several stakes race winners herself.

Fanny Heldy died in 1973 and was buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris. The "Prix Foundation Fanny Heldy" is awarded to one soprano in one year for one recording.