Natalie Bodanya

Natalie Bodanya (August 23, 1908 – March 4, 2007) was the stage name for Natalia Bodanskaya, an American soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera.

Bodanya was born in Manhattan. An audition with Marcella Sembrich led to her enrollment at the Curtis Institute. She debuted as Micaela in Carmen in 1936. She retired to have a son after her 1938 marriage, but in 1944 she returned at the New York City Opera. She also recorded with Mario Lanza. Her performance as Micaela in "Carmen" was preserved in the Met Broadcast Archives, and shines through as one of the great creations of that role. The broadcast was January 7, 1937.

Bodanya later moved to California to teach, and died in Santa Barbara, California, aged 98. [1]