The air was full of golden promises; Europe was full of needy stars. In Milan, in Vienna and in Paris, they signed up; they all wanted to make their fame & fortune in the U.S. For singing with the official-sounding "United States Opera Company," Ottavio Scotto, a Chicago opera impresario who once managed Enrico Caruso and Claudia Muzio, offered salaries up to $1,000 a performance and first-class passage on the Queen Elizabeth.
On the high seas the 25 opera singerssome of them among Europe's bestsang a benefit for the children of dead British sailors, raised £1,500.
Last week in Chicago the singers wished...
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