- 1 December 1921 – Aureliano Pertile made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca, with Maria Jeritza in the title role.
- 7 December 1863 – Pietro Mascagni (pictured), the composer of Cavalleria rusticana, was born in Livorno.
- 14 December 2003 – Venice's famous opera house La Fenice, which had been destroyed by a fire in 1996, was officially re-opened with a concert of music by Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky.
- 16 December 1965 – The Italian tenor, Tito Schipa, known for the beauty of his voice and his intelligent singing, died in New York at the age of 77.
- 19 December 1890 – Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades had its world premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg conducted by Eduard Nápravník.
- 24 December 1871 – Verdi's opera Aida had its world premiere at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo with Teresa Stolz in the title role.
- 25 December 2005 – Birgit Nilsson, one of the great 20th century Wagnerian sopranos, died in Bjärlöv, a small village near Kristianstad, at the age of 87.
- 31 December 1990 – The celebrated Australian soprano, Joan Sutherland, made her final stage appearance during a gala performance of Die Fledermaus at London's Royal Opera House.