World-famous Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, was born Helen Porter Mitchell on 19 May 1861 in Richmond, Melbourne.

Dame Nellie Melba appeared as Nedda in Pagliacci, an Italian opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo, circa 1907.

After studying in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi, Nellie Melba starred in her first role in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Théâtre de La Monnaie, Brussels on 12 October 1887.

Nellie Melba became an international household name, amidst a cast of thousands of soprano stars on the world music stage.

A natural vocalist, Nellie was coached in acting by the likes of French actress Sarah Bernhardt and Australian playwright Haddon Chambers.

Dame Nellie Melba’s final performance took place in Geelong, Victoria in November 1928. The then 67-year-old performed the prayer scene from Verdi’s Otello and the third and fourth acts of La Bohème.