(Credit: © Harry Groner)

On April 4, 2024, German baritone Gerd Feldhoff died at the age of 92.

Born on Oct. 29, 1931, in Cologne, he went on to study at the North West Music Academy in Detmold.

He made his debut in Essen in 1959 as Figaro in “Le nozze di Figaro” and went on to perform with the Stadtische Oper in Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera, and the Frankfurt. He also made notable performances at the Bayreuth Festival from 1968 to 1978 and made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1971 as Kaspar in “Der Freischutz.” Feldhoff would perform with teh company in nine performances.

One of his most successful relationships was with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he remained associated with for his entire life. Feldhoff made his debut with the company in 1961 in the title role of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” and became a member of the ensemble in 1963. He went on to sing numerous roles with the company including the Barak, the title role of “Wozzeck,” Hans Sachs, Amfortas, Jochanaan, Pizarro, and Wanderer. In total, he sang 1,360 performances with the theater.

In 1999, he retired from the stage with the company. For his work with the theater, Feldhoff was honored as a “Berliner Kammersänger.”