Regina Pacini

Regina Pacini

Regina Isabel Luisa Pacini Quintero (January 6, 1871, Lisbon, Portugal - September 18, 1965, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a lyric soprano who married the Argentine politician Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear and became First Lady of Argentina.

Biography

Born the daughter of the Italian baritone Pietro Andrea Giorgi-Pacini and Spanish Felisa Quintero in Lisbon, during the regency of her father's Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon.

As soprano was a major exponent of the bel canto era, such as Lucia di Lammermoor, I Puritani, Rigoletto, Manon and Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Shestudied in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi and debuted in 1888 as Amina in Bellini's La Sonnambula in Lisbon theater where she continued to sing, with great success until 1904. In 1889 she sang at Milan, Palermo and London. The Teatro Real was introduced in 1890, again with La Sonnambula, returning regularly until 1905 is presented in 1893 at the Liceo in Barcelona and in 1894/95 appears in Warsaw and St. Petersburg. In 1899 she debuted at the Teatro Solis in Montevideo and Buenos Aires Politeama Theatre where she met Dr. Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, future president of Argentina (1922-1928), who followed her around from performance to performance in different theaters in the world for a number of years until she finally accepted his marriage proposal. In Covent Garden London shared deals with Enrico Caruso. With the new century comes in different Italian theaters (Rome, Florence, the San Carlo in Naples and La Scala in Milan).

In 1907, at the height of her career, she married Dr. Alvear, retiring from acting and became a major benefactor. During World War I the couple lived in Paris and his actions earned him the Legion of Honor by the French government.

In 1938, Alvear founded the Casa del Teatro in Buenos Aires, a haven for actors, with 45 rooms, two small museums and the headquarters of the Regina Theatre named in his honor.