She made her opera debut in 1876 at the Royal Italian Opera House, Covent Garden and went on to sing in concerts in Europe, having worked as a journalist from Paris in 1875. In 1879, she joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and played the role of Josephine in Gilbert and Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore" in London before travelling with the company to New York City to play the same role and to originate the role of Mabel in "The Pirates of Penzance".