On Nov. 23, Russian baritone Nikolai Golyushev died at the age of 91.

Born on Dec. 9, 1929, in Kasli, Ural Region, the baritone graduated in 1948 from the Kaslinsky vocational school and entered the Novosibirsk College of Labor Reserves.

Golyushev served in the army and was transferred to the military ensemble of song and dance of the West Siberian Military District. In 1953, he began his studies at the Ural State Conservatory with Vasily Ukhov and graduated in 1959. During his time in the conservatory, he enrolled in the trainee group of the Sverdlovsk Opera and Ballet Theater and became a soloist in 1958.

He would go on to sing sixty roles including Valentin in “Faust,” Yeletsky in “The Queen of Spades,” Germont in “La Traviata,” and Figaro in “The Barber of Seville,” among others. He also world premiered Andrei in the opera-oratorio of B. Gibalin “Comrade Andrei” in 1967. His most recognized role, however, was Eugene Onegin, which he sang 276 times.

Throughout his career, he went on to sing 3,500 performances and took part in more than 2,000 concerts.

Among the roles that he received included the Artist of the RSFSR in 1973, People’s Artist of the RSFSR in 1980, Order of Honor in 2001, and Prize of the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region in 2012.