Etelka Gerster

Etelka Gerster (25 June 1855, Košice – 20 August 1920, Pontecchio) was a Hungarian soprano. She debuted in Italy in 1876 and sang in London the following year. In 1878, she was performing in the Academy of Music in New York City where she was considered one of the leading singers of her time. Her daughter was wife to the conductor Fritz Reiner. Gerster lost her voice soon after her child was born and never sang again. From 1896 until 1917, she taught singing in Berlin. Among her students were Ilona Durigo, Matja von Niessen-Stone, and Lotte Lehmann.