(Credit: AkiraMuto) On August 15, 2023, Japanese conductor Taijiro Iimori died at the age of 82. According to news reports, the conductor died of acute heart failure and the funeral will be led by his nephew Shintaro Iimori. Born in northeastern China in 1940, Iimori became a student of the renowned musical teacher Hideo Saito at the Toho Gakuen School {…}
On August 17, 2023, Alberto Rinaldi died at the age of 84. The funeral is set to be held on August 19 at the church Cristo Re in Viale Mazzini. He was the son of the Music Critic Mario Rinaldi and brother of Maurizio Rinaldi and brother-in-law of Franca Valeri. Rinaldi was known as “Dado” and made his operatic debut {…}
Swedish conductor Arnold Östman died on August 15, 2023, at the age of 83. The conductor was born on Dec. 24, 1939 in Malmö, Sweden, and studied art history and musicology in Lund, Paris, and Stockholm. Throughout his studies Östman concentrated on the piano and the harpsichord, being largely self-taught. He was also a researcher and focused on the subject {…}
Legendary soprano Renata Scotto has passed away at the age of 89. The soprano went on to become one of the most revered sopranos of her generation for her sense of style, her musicality, and as a great singing actress. Born on Feb. 24, 1934, in Savona Italy, Scotto made her operatic debut in her hometown on Christmas Eve of {…}
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Violist Delmar Stewart has died at the age of 73. Stewart died on August 12, 2023, and is survived by his wife, Aliza Lidovsky Stewart, children and siblings. The musician was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1977 until the last day of his life, having played his final concert only hours before his death. In {…}
On August 4, British Coloratura soprano Jessica Cash died at the age of 84. The soprano graduated from The Royal College of Music before she began her singing career. Cash performed throughout the 1960s and 1970s at such organizations as the Glyndebourne Festival, the Kent Opera, and the Welsh National Opera. She was particularly well known for her interpretation of {…}
On July 15, 2023, Soprano Danica Mastilovic died at the age of 89. Her family stated that the soprano died after a long and serious illness in Dreieich-Sprendlingen, near Frankfurt / Germany. Born in Yugoslavia, she studied at the Music Academy in Belgrade before being engaged by Georg Solti to join Oper Frankfurt. She was discovered by Wolfgang Rennert in {…}
The Polish tenor Lesław Pawluk passed away at the age of 95. In 1963, Pawluk began his long career at Teatr Wielki (Polish National Opera) where he performed in “The Tales of Hoffman,” “Othello,” “Carmen,” and “La bohème,” among others. He was a regularly scheduled singer at Teatr Wielki through 1987. Pawluk also made many recordings in his career. His {…}
Australian soprano Margaret Josephine Nisbett has died at the age of 94. Born in Preston, Victoria, as a child she performed small concerts at home with her sister and at her local Church of England. She went on to study piano and singing with Thelma Ford when she was nine years old. Her first five years of training saw her {…}
Conductor Raymond Dobbs Franks has died at the age of 90. Born in 1933, he went on to study at the Juilliard School of Music and went on to work with the New Zealand Opera Company in the 1960s. That led him to work with numerous Australian companies such as the Australian Opera Studio, West Australian Ballet, Chamber Made Opera, {…}
The Camerata of Fine Arts has announced the passing of original member Ingeborg von Huene, who died of natural causes at 93. “With Ingeborg von Huene’s passing, a beautiful chapter in the history of the early music revival comes to a close,” says Joel Cohen, fellow Camerate member who has known von Huene since 1963. “Inge so loved and encouraged {…}