Eva Didur

Eva Didur (born 1896), also known as Ewa Didur, was a Polish dramatic soprano singer.

Eva Didur was born in Poland,^[1] the daughter of Polish singer Adamo Didur and his first wife, Mexican singer Angela Aranda Arellano. Her younger sisters were Mary Didur-Załuska (1905-1979) and Olga Didur-Wiktorowa (1900-1963), who were also professional singers.^[2] Eva Didur studied voice with William Thorner^[3] and Gina Ciaparelli-Viafora.^[4]

Didur had her concert debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1918,^[5] a concert in which she "exhibited a fine, powerful powerful soprano and decided dramatic temperament."^[6][7] She sang at the Hippodrome with her father in December 1918.^[8] She went on to Italy in 1919,^[9] where she sang the part of Mimi in La bohème in Milan.^[10] She was engaged to sing in Trieste during the 1919-1920 opera season.^[11][12] In 1921 she was back in Milan to sing the part of Marguerite in Mefistofele, under the direction of her godfather, Arturo Toscanini.^[13]

Didur sang at many benefit events during World War I. In 1917 she performed at a concert with pianists Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Zygmunt Stojowski for the Polish Victims War Relief Fund.^[14] She performed with her father at a benefit for the Russian Relief Fund at Carnegie Hall,^[15] and at another benefit for the Polish Army Hospital in France, at Aeolian Hall, a few weeks later.^[16] In the summer of 1918 she sang the Polish national anthem and other music at a "Polish Night" stadium concert in New York,^[17] under the direction of Arnold Volpe,^[18] and at a Red Cross benefit concert on Long Island.^[19]

As a young woman Eva Didur was close friends with silent film actress Dagmar Godowsky.^[10]