ANNUNCIATA GARROTTO
Some knew her only as Cio-Cio San, but 1928 Omaha University graduate Annunciata Garrotto made a real name for herself throughout the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s as an international opera sensation. A Melbourne, Australia, reviewer called her, “a great favorite ... singing all luscious and ringing, flexible and excellently phrased.” A Caracas, Venezuela, performance of “La Boheme” earned this recounting, “.., her hearers will never forget her grand voice and exceptional art.” In New York City, her turn in “Madame Butterfly” was described as “... an admixture of youthful timidity and coyness superimposed upon subtle tragedy, delightfully sung and dramatically convincing ... a gifted artist.” Often eliciting such acclamation was Garrotto’s portrayal of “Madame Butterfly’s” tragic Cio-Cio San, which she performed more than 500 times during a quarter-century career. She also appeared more than 300 times in “La Traviata,” one of 31 operas in her repertoire. The only child of Sicilian immigrants, “Nunce” Garrotto was born into a home resounding with arias. Her parents were typical of the early 1900 Italians, Garrotto said in a 1990 UNO Alum magazine article. “They all loved opera.” Her father, Alfio Garrotto, turned a downtown Omaha fruit stand into a grocery store on north 16th street. And he had big plans for his only child. “I knew from the day I was born that I would go to college. She enrolled at Omaha University in the mid-1920s, a time when trolleys took students to the original campus at 24th and Pratt streets. She studied languages and music. Fellow students often were treated to Garrotto’s impromptu performances. “I would sing at lunch hour ... all the popular songs,” Garrotto says, “I was a showoff.” She graduated at 20 years old with a fine arts degree. After graduation she traveled to Italy with her mother, Concetta, to study singing. Within a year she was debuting in “La Boheme” outside Milan, Italy, launching a career that took her around the world.