Gina Cigna was a French-born dramatic soprano of Italian ancestry. Originally trained as a concert pianist at the Paris Conservatory, she began her career as a recitalist on that instrument. After marrying the opera singer Maurice Sens in 1923, she studied singing in Paris and Italy before making her opera debut at La Scala in 1927 where she later performed regularly from 1929 until 1945. She had an international performance career in major opera houses until a car accident ended her stage career in 1947. Afterwords she worked as a voice teacher at the Milan Conservatory, The Royal Conservatory of Music (1953–1963), the Accademia Musicale Chigiana (1957–1965), and at the opera school attached to La Scala.