Nell Rankin

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Nell Rankin (January 3, 1924–January 13, 2005) was an American mezzo-soprano and opera singer.

She was born in Montgomery, Alabama and studied at the Birmingham Conservatory. After being discovered by Coenraad Bos, the accompanist for the soprano Helen Traubel, she moved to New York City and worked her way up. She sang with the Zurich Opera Company in 1949 and, shortly thereafter, won the International Music Competition in Geneva (the first American to do so).

In 1951 she debuted at La Scala, the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. In 1953, she sang at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden and the San Francisco Opera.

[edit] External links

• Obituary from the New York Times
• Biography at the Alabama Academy of Honor