17 Facts About Lydia Lipkowska

Lydia Lipkowska was born to the family of a rural teacher, in Babyn, Khotinsky Uyezd of the Bessarabia Governorate, Russian Empire.

Lydia Lipkowska's aunt was Maria Zankovetska, a famous Ukrainian actress.

Lydia Lipkowska received education in the Mariinsky Women's Gymnasium in Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Lydia Lipkowska studied with Natalia Iretskaya, a pupil of celebrated voice teacher Pauline Viardot.

Lydia Lipkowska was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre from 1906 to 1908 and again from 1911 to 1913.

Lydia Lipkowska made her Paris debut at Theatre du Chatelet, which was followed by engagement at the Opera-Comique as Lakme and the Paris Opera as Gounod's Juliette.

Lydia Lipkowska was a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1909 until 1911.

Lydia Lipkowska made her debut at the Met as Violetta in La Traviata on November 18,1909, with Caruso as Alfredo.

Lydia Lipkowska performed with the Chicago Grand Opera Company in 1910.

Lydia Lipkowska petitioned a judge for an injunction against the hotel, claiming that the menu items were "injuring her reputation and holding her up to ridicule".

In 1910, Lydia Lipkowska returned to the Opera-Comique as Verdi's Violetta.

Lydia Lipkowska later returned to the Royal Opera House as Violetta, Gilda, and in the title role of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Il segreto di Susanna for the United Kingdom premiere of that work in July 1911.

In 1912, Lydia Lipkowska charged New York gangster Sam Schepps with usury over his refusal to return two diamonds worth $80,000 that she had pawned to him.

Lydia Lipkowska said that she had borrowed $12,000 from Schepps, had left the diamonds with him as security, and that he sought $5000 in interest before he would return the jewels.

Lydia Lipkowska was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre when the Russian Revolution began in 1917.

Lydia Lipkowska married Pierre Bodin, and upon her marriage she emigrated to France in 1919.

Lydia Lipkowska came out of retirement for one last performance at the Odessa Opera in 1941, to perform the role of Violetta one last time.