In celebration of Polish American Heritage Month, we recognize the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of notable immigrants and refugees who’ve helped shape America’s vibrant tapestry. Today, we spotlight prolific soprano singer and educator, Marcella Sembrich.
Marcella Sembrich, known for her brilliant, flutelike soprano voice and remarkable range, was born at Wisniewczyk in the Polish region of Austro-Hungarian-occupied Galicia, now part of Ukraine. Her father first introduced her to music, teaching her violin and piano. She used her early skills to support both her family and her own academic endeavors by performing at parties, while performances in town earned her public adoration. At the age of ten, she left for Poland to study violin and piano at the Lemberg Conservatory, where she met her future husband, Wilhelm Stengel. Stengel played a key role in her professional evolution, encouraging her to develop her singing voice, which led her to pursue musical studies at the Vienna Conservatory in 1975. A year later, she gave up violin and piano to fully devote her time to singing, while studying with several notable instructors.
Sembrich made her opera debut in Greece as Elvira in Bellini’s I Puritani in 1877. The 19-year-old was lauded for mastering multiple roles in the production. Sembrich was later hired as a guest at the Dresden Royal Opera House in 1978, where she found immediate success and was promoted to a member of the company. Two years later, she left for London and signed a contract at Covent Garden. She became a favorite performer in the region.
In 1883, Sembrich left for the United States to sing in the newly founded Metropolitan Opera company. She made her titular debut as Lucia in the company premiere of Lucia di Lammermoor. She went on to sing more debut roles than any singer in the company’s history. The Met later faced financial peril as public preference shifted from Italian Opera to German Opera. Due in part to this, Sembrich relocated to Berlin in 1988. For the next 30 years, she traveled across the U.S. and Europe, singing in major cities. From 1890 to 1897, she was a top-billed performer at the Italian Opera. In 1898, Sembrich returned to the Met and performed more than 450 times during 11 seasons. Her last performance in 1909 marked the silver jubilee of her Met debut and was honored with a farewell gala. After her husband’s death in 1917, Sembrich retired from performing and devoted herself to teaching, both privately and at the famed Juilliard School in New York. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1920.
An enthusiastic hiker, Sembrich found solace in the Adirondack Mountains when the outbreak of World War II limited her ability to return to the Alps in Europe for the summer seasons. Her time on Lake George served as inspiration for the Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum in Bolton Landing, New York, where history and mementos of her career can still be appreciated.
Today, the Kosciuszko Foundation Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition and the American Council for Polish Culture’s Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Vocal Competition honor the singer’s legacy by supporting the careers of young singers.
Marcella Sembrich passed at her Manhattan home in 1935.
Others we are celebrating in honor of Polish American Heritage Month:
2025
Henryk Arctowski, world-renowned Polish American scientist