Nancy Reagan maid returned to work at the White House. In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet leader to visit Washington, D.C. since Nikita Khrushchev made the trip in 1959 at the height of the Cold War. Nancy was in charge of planning and hosting the important and highly anticipated state dinner, with the goal to impress both the Soviet leader and especially his wife Raisa Gorbacheva. After the meal, she recruited pianist Van Cliburn to play a rendition of "Moscow Nights" for the Soviet delegation, to which Mikhail and Raisa broke out into song. Secretary of State George P. Shultz
Rosa Raisa up the return of Raisa to Chicago, quoting Caruso, "he considers Rosa Raisa the greatest dramatic soprano in the world." The only problem with Campanini's prediction was that Amelita Galli-Curci was to take Chicago, and the world by storm and she ultimately became the superstar attraction of the company. After her return to Chicago in 1916, Raisa along with Mary Garden, Edith Mason, Claudia Muzio and Amelita Galli-Curci were the lead sopranos around which the repertoire of the company revolved. Essentially Raisa was the company's dramatic soprano, Mary Garden the French-repertory soprano, Galli-Curci the light coloratura, Edith Mason a lyric,