Real name: Eleonora de Cisneros

American opera singer who performed both as mezzo soprano and contralto (born October, 31 1878 in New York, NY – died February 3, 1934 in New York, NY).

Born Eleanor Broadfoot in the Gramercy Park area on Manhattan, de Cisneros attended St. Agnes Seminary in Brooklyn, where her first voice teacher, Francesco Fanciulli, discovered her. She later also trained with the opera singer Adelina Murio-Celli d'Elpeux. In 1899, at age 19, she became the first American singer without European training to be hired by The Metropolitan Opera. On November 24, 1899, she had her debut as Roßweiße in Richard Wagner's "Die Walküre" at a guest performance of the Met in Chicago. On January 5, 1900, she debuted in the same role in New York City.

In 1901, she married Count Francois de Cisneros, a Cuban journalist, thus becoming Countess Eleonora de Cisneros. Under that name, she enjoyed great success on many European stages, beginning with the role of Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aïda" in Turin in 1902. Between 1904 and 1906, de Cisneros was a guest performer at the Royal Opera House in London. In 1906, she had her debut at the Scala in Milan, where she created the role of Candia della Leonessa in La figlia di Iorio by Alberto Franchetti. That same year, she also introduced the title role of "The Queen of Spades" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and sang in Richard Strauss' "Salome." Later, in 1909, she sang the Clytemnestra at the premiere of Strauss' "Elektra" in Milan. In 1911, de Cisneros sang in London and Paris and then toured Australia with Nellie Melba's opera company.

De Cisneros sang many roles in Wagner operas, not only Roßweiße, but also Brünnhilde in "Die Walküre," Ortrud in "Lohengrin," and Venus in "Tannhäuser." One of her favorite roles in French operas was that of Delilah in "Samson and Delilah" by Camille Saint-Saëns; around 1912, Dame Melba claimed that Cisneros was the "greatest Delilah in the world."

De Cisneros was known for her wide vocal range and the high volume of her contralto voice. At 6 feet 2 inches, she also was perfectly cast for the stage heroine roles that she portrayed. She retired from the stage around 1929, moved back to New York and became a voice teacher.