 At the time of her debut, Natalie Bodanya billed herself as Natalie Bodanskaya.She shortened her name as of December 22, 1936, to lessen confusion with the mezzo-soprano Ina Bourskaya and the conductor Artur Bodanzky.After several years of performing with second tier companies in the United States, Bodanya was invited by Edward Johnson to join the roster of principal artists at the Metropolitan Opera.