The Philippine tenor Otoniel Gonzaga has passed away at 76.

The Wiener Volksoper reported the news that on Jan. 13, 2018, the acclaimed tenor passed away. The tenor, who trained at Curtis, started his career by winning first-prize of the Marian Anderson Singing Competition and won the ARD Singing Competition, where he took third place.

He went on to perform at Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Antwerp, Barcelona, Madrid, Zurich, Basel, and Glasgow. In the United States, he appeared in Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Miami.

He made his debut at the New York City Opera as Foresto in Verdi’s “Attila” and also made his debut at the San Francisco Opera in 2005 as Florestan in “Fidelio.”

He also became a member of the Frankfurt ensemble where he performed numerous works. Among his most important roles include most important roles included the title role in “Otello,” Bárinkay  in “The Gypsy Baron,” Paganini in “Paganini,” Camille de Rosillon in “The Merry Widow,” and Sou Chong in “The Land of Smiles.” 

He also went on to work with some of the most distinguished conductors including Pablo Casals, Herbert von Karajan, Giuseppe Patane, Eugene Ormandy, Max Rudolf, Alberto Erede, Sir John Pritchard, and Michael Gielen.