Carlo Bergonzi was one of the leading Italian tenors of the Golden era of the 20th century. Known for his elegant phrasing, Bergonzi built up his career dominating in the repertoire of one particular composer (more on that later). Born on July 13, 1924, Bergonzi’s career actually started off as a baritone before he eventually realized that he was a {…}
What hasn’t been said about Kirsten Flagstad? She was once famously called the greatest voice of the 20th century and her legacy certainly bears this out. There is a museum in her honor in her homeland of Norway and her picture appears on Norwegian Air Shuttle planes. Born on July 12, 1895, in Norway, she received early musical training in {…}
Much is said these days about Plácido Domingo’s expansive repertoire, but before him, Nicolai Gedda was arguably the man to tackle the most works in recent opera history. So vast was his repertoire that the Swedish tenor, born on July 11, 1925, performed operas in Italian, French, English, Czech, Swedish, Russian, German, and even Latin. He left behind over 200 {…}
Hermann Prey always seems to have a smile on in any photo that you might find of him. The lyric baritone, born on July 11, 1929, grew up in Germany and studied voice at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. In the early 1950s, he started singing recitals and would make his operatic debut at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden before heading {…}
British bass Alastair Miles, born on July 11, 1961, is one of UK’s great artists, with The Guardian calling him the “finest British bass of his generation.” He actually got his career started as a flute player and a music teacher before embarking on a vocal career. In the early 1980s, he sang as a Lay Clerk in the Choir {…}
Jonas Kaufmann is THE tenor of the 21st century. Born on July 10, 1969, in Munich, he began his vocal training at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. During the time of his studies, Kaufmann sang smaller roles at the Bayerische Staatsoper. He graduated in 1994 with a promising career on the horizon. Then crisis struck in 1995 {…}
Gustav Mahler, born on July 7, 1860, is one of the greatest composers of all time. He was also one of the finest conductors the world has ever seen as well. Mahler’s career is monumental to be sure, with the composer spending a decade at the Vienna Court Opera, where he presented 33 news operas to the repertory for the {…}
Matti Salminen, born on July 7, 1945, is one of the great basses of the 20th and 21st century. The Finnish artist kicked off his career singing Finnish tangos in nightclubs to earn money to take voice lessons. His experience with Finnish tangos led him to publish a book on the subject. As a singer, he has enjoyed a career {…}
During the Cold War, it was rare to see an artist from the Soviet Union make a strong impression in the west. But Elena Obraztsova proved to be a major difference. Born on July 7, 1939, Obraztsova endured the siege in Leningrad during World War II and by the age of nine was singing at the Pioneers Palace in Leningrad. {…}
Finnish bass-baritone Tom Krause enjoyed a varied career that saw him transition from singing on all the major stages to teaching and judging at all the great artistic institutions. He actually intended on becoming a psychiatrist, but ultimately followed his interest in music by studying voice at the Vienna Music Academy. He made his operatic debut in Berlin in 1959 {…}
Hei-Kyung Hong, born on July 4, 1959, has built up a fascinating career that has resulted in a long-lasting association with the Metropolitan Opera. The South Korean soprano kicked off her studies at the Yea Won Music School in Seoul but wound up heading to the United States at the age of 15 to study at the Juilliard School of {…}