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Franja Verhunk

(August 8, 1875 - November 11, 1944)

Fanchette Verhunk was born Franja Vrhunc on August 8, 1875 in Ljubljana. After receiving a musical education at the Glasbena Matica school in Ljubljana, she studied singing at the Vienna Conservatory with Josef Gänsbacher and Felice Mancio. She only performed in her homeland at the beginning of her career. Although still a student, she was considered a great vocalist and artist. In 1896 she was the soprano soloist in Dvořák’s cantata Die Geisterbraut in a concert given in Vienna under the direction of Dvořák himself. A Slovenian press article reporting on the event reads as follows:
“/.../ how natural and light, how clean and smooth the voice flowed from her throat! She was able to expand on the strength and the natural volume of her voice greatly in those places where it had to be present against the combined forces of the orchestra, the choir and her opponent, the tenor Lašek /.../. /.../ Miss Verhunc has demonstrated that her throat has another rare treasure in store: in addition to the soprano, a wonderful alto. The alto she has brought forth was as powerful as a strong male voice.“
Her first engagement was in Poznań in 1897, followed by an engagement at the Wrocław Opera, where she stayed until 1912. In Wrocław, she was highly esteemed and admired. At the 1901 Bayreuth Festival she sang the role of Freia in Wagner’s opera Das Rheingold. Guest performances led her to Vienna, Dresden, Munich, Amsterdam and Budapest. The highlight of her career was the title role in Richard Strauss's opera Salome. The composer saw her as Salome in Wroclaw in 1906 and congratulated her on her performance. She sang Salome when the opera was given in Vienna for the first time on May 15, 1907. In 1917 she retired from the stage and devoted herself to teaching. She was married to the tenor Adalbert Holzapfel and later to the conductor Julius Prüwer. In 1944 she returned to Slovenia, where she died on November 11, 1944.