Person
Spani, Hina (1896-1969)Other forms
Puan (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 1896-02-15 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) 1969-07-11
Argentine soprano and teacher.
Hina Spani was the stage name of Higinia Tuñón. She was born on February 15, 1896, in Puan (Buenos Aires). She studied at the Conservatorio Williams with Amanda Campodónico, and continued her studies in Italy with Vittorio Moratti. She debuted in 1915 at La Scala in Milan with "Loreley" (1879) by Alfredo Catalani. She returned to Buenos Aires that same year and performed in "Carmen" (1875) by Georges Bizet at the Teatro Colón; she maintained a significant concert activity there between 1916 and 1918.
After World War I, she gained recognition in Italy, where she sang for several seasons at La Scala in Milan, performing operas by Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. In 1924, she participated in the Buenos Aires premiere of "La vida breve" by Manuel de Falla at the Teatro Colón; at this same theater, she also premiered "Lázaro" (1929) by Constantino Gaito and "Giulio Cesare" (1936) by Gian Francesco Malipiero.
She toured France, Spain, and Australia, a country she visited in 1928 under contract with the J. C. Williamson Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. She retired from the stage in 1940 and began her teaching career at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música López Buchardo, the Universidad Nacional del Litoral, and the Instituto Superior de Arte del Colón.
She was known for including works by Argentine composers such as Carlos López Buchardo, Carlos Pedrell, César A. Stiattesi, Floro Ugarte, Felipe Boero, and Gilardo Gilardi in her repertoire. She passed away on July 11, 1969, in Buenos Aires.
Date of the event: 1914 - 1918