Spoiler : Ponselle, Rosa (birth name was Rosa Ponzillo) Born in Meriden, Connecticut 1/22/1884 (Social Security records state 1897); died 5/25/1981 of a heart attack in Maryland. Sister of vocalist Carmela Ponselle. She was a star of The Metropolitan Opera from 1918 to 1937. She appeared on radio on The Metropolitan Opera Auditons for NBC (1935-1937). She abandoned her career in 1937 after being refused a role she wished to perform. Later years she was director of The Baltimore (Maryland) Opera Company.