Edna Garabedian Edna Garabedian Edna Garabedian is an American operatic mezzo-soprano, voice teacher, and opera director. Born to Armenian immigrants to the United States in Fresno, California, Garabedian studied singing with William Vennard at the University of Southern California, Lotte Lehmann at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Anna Hamlin in New York City, and Rosa Ponselle in Baltimore. In 1961 she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 as Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana" with the New York City Opera. She went on to sing leading roles with the Baltimore Opera Company,
Herva Nelli del destino", Puccini's "Tosca" (conducted by Eugene Ormandy), and "Un ballo in maschera". In 1951, Nelli reappeared with the New York City Opera, in "Cavalleria rusticana" again, as well as "Aida"; the next year, she portrayed Maddalena de Coigny in Giordano's "Andrea Chénier" (in Theodore Komisarjevsky's production). With the San Francisco Opera, in 1951 and 1952, the soprano sang in "Otello", "La forza del destino" (with Robert Weede), "Aida" (with Mario Del Monaco), "Cavalleria rusticana", "Il trovatore", and "La bohème" (this last on tour to Los Angeles); in 1957, she returned for "Un ballo in maschera". With the Baltimore Civic