When people hear the word diva, they think Maria Callas. The Greek-American soprano was one of the greatest stars of the 20th century, not only in the opera but in the media. If her tiffs with opera management weren’t enough, her affair with Aristotle Onassis and his subsequent dumping of her for the widow Jacqueline Kennedy kept her in the limelight until her untimely death at the age of 53.

Callas (1923-1977) is revered to this day for her dramatic intensity, versatility and technical prowess in opera. She was born in New York City, but moved to her family’s native Greece at the age of 13, where she studied at the Royal Conservatory in Athens. She made her debut in Verona in 1947, and went on to become one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century. Her recordings are still in print, and are considered benchmarks of the art.

Callas is almost as well known for her personal life as her singing. She married the Italian industrialist Giovanni Battiste Meneghini in 1949, but they separated 10 years later. They were divorced over her affair with the Greek shipping magnate Onassis.

Unlike some singers, Callas had to work hard to sing well, though the results were often spectacular.

Callas’ has been honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy, and the Greek government has celebrating the “Callas Year” on the anniversary of her death.

In “Callas on Callas,” 95 percent of the text is adapted from the diva’s interviews and 1971 Juilliard master classes, with only fleeting references to her personal life.

This program focuses on why she felt the way she did about music, and opera as theater “and what she thought anybody interested in a career in the performing arts needed to do in order to be successful.

In the center of the stage, there will be a screen for projections of scenes from actual Callas performances and rehearsals.