ATHENS: A museum honouring the legendary Opera Diva Maria Callas on Thursday opened its doors for public in Greece’s capital Athens, the first of its kind in the world.
According to the organizers the museum showcases over 1,300 items belonged to the singer including a school scrapbook, inscribed books and sheet music, opera dresses and photographs.
Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis talking to media at the museum said Greece is very proud of this first museum that combines technology and lived experience.
The museum is opened in a four-storey building from the 1920s that had been a hotel. The facility took over a decade to complete at a cost of $1.6 million.
The collection work started 24 years ago, when the city acquired some Callas items at a Paris auction.
Among the collection’s top exhibits are the singer’s personal photo album, her backstage mirror and her prescription glasses, which she almost never wore in front of public.
Sophia Cecilia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos was born in New York to Greek parents in 1923. She briefly lived in Athens from 1937 to 1945 after her parents separated.
The building in Athens where Callas briefly stayed with her mother and sister is to become a music academy.
She made her professional debut with the Royal Opera of Athens in 1941 after attending singing classes at the National Conservatory.
She got retired in 1974 after her final stage appearance in Sapporo, Japan. She died in Paris in 1977 due to a heart attack. She was 53.
