Leonora de Cisneros debuts at the Metropolitan Opera as Rossweisse

Background. Eleonora de Cisneros, born in 1878, was an American mezzo-soprano who received initial training from American opera singers. In 1899, Jean de Reszke introduced her to the Metropolitan Opera manager, leading to her hiring. She became the first American-trained opera singer hired by the company, which had previously only employed singers formally trained in Europe.

Chicago Debut. Cisneros gave her first performance with the Metropolitan Opera company in Chicago on November 24, 1899. The Met had, beginning in 1898, undertaken a six-week tour of American cities following its New York season, which may provide the touring context for this engagement, though no passage explicitly places this performance on a tour. Her debut in New York City followed on January 5, 1900. No supplied passage names the role or opera performed.