Mimi Benzell made her debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1945. She played the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Benzell’s voice thrilled audiences and won her recognition as one of the leading young American sopranos.
After five seasons with the Met, she wanted to try her hand at singing popular music and accepted an invitation to sing at a New York supper club. Opera management was not pleased. They felt supper club singing was beneath the station of one of their opera stars. Benzell’s contract with the opera was not renewed, but she was unfazed.
In 1949 she made the leap to television, appearing on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town. Soon she was appearing on other TV variety programs. Critics called her a “sparkling star”.
See Mimi Benzell’s papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.