What made Maria Callas the world's 'greatest diva'

What made Maria Callas the world's 'greatest diva' Houston Rogers/Victoria and Albert Museum Maria Callas as Violette in La Traviata It's 100 years since the birth of the opera singer Maria Callas. Callas is featured in a major group exhibition, Diva, at London's V&A Museum until April 2024; the show reframes the "diva" concept, from 19th-Century opera stars to contemporary A-listers, with highlights including costumes from Callas's final performance at the Royal Opera House, as well as legendary recordings. Perhaps Maria Callas continues to fascinate because she actually has no true descendants – Michel Roubinet La Divina curator, musicologist and writer Michel Roubinet, is emphatic about Callas's enduring legacy: "Her voice undeniably engages all the senses at once, speaking to the mind, the heart, and the depths of those who listen," he says. She also inspired the performance artist Marina Abramović's opera homage, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, which made its UK debut with the ENO at the London Coliseum in November.