On Dec. 24, 2022, American soprano Jan Grissom has died at the age of 63. Grissom was a graduate of the University of Houston and the University of North Alabama. The soprano began her career in 1985 as a Houston Grand Opera Studio Artist. She then went on to perform in the United States and in Europe. Most notably, she {…}
Colombian conductor Raúl García, the founder of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá and its leader for 23 years, has passed away at age 83. Born on March 22, 1939, he was also a mathematical physicist and became the first clarinetist in Colombia to perform the instrument in the Orquesta Sinfónica. He then became the founder of the Orquesta Filarmónica de {…}
Chinese soprano Chu Lanlan has died at the age of 39 of COVID-19 complications. Lanlan was a renowned young performing artist of Beijing Opera and was the founder and leader of I Beijing Opera as well as the teacher at Beijing Opera and Art’s College. She was also the head of Lanxin Troupe, a team committed to I Beijing Opera. {…}
On Dec. 11, 2022 operetta singer and actress Olga Haasová-Smrčková died in Brno at the age of 85. Haasová-Smrčková died after a long, serious illness and is said to have spent the last years of her life in a retirement home in Brno. Born in 1937, she was the daughter of composer Pavel Haas who was murdered in the Holocaust, {…}
(Credit: Lena Obst) The Hessischen Staatstheater Wiesbaden has announced the death of Christoph Stiller at the age of 53. Stiller was the Musical Director of studies, Conductor, and Deputy Choir Director at the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden. He died unexpectedly on Dec. 17, 2022, shortly before a performance of “Hänsel and Gretel.” Stiller studied at the Hochschule für Musik in {…}
Conductor, pianist, and composer Luis Izquierdo has passed away. He was 91. Born in La Coruña, Spain in 1931, he was a renowned pianist who debuted at 15. He studied at the Royal Conservatory in Madrid where he won two major prizes, the Premio Extraordinario and the Primer Premio de Virtuosismo de Piano. From there, he became a professor of {…}
Former Director of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Dr. John Cranmer has died. The school released a statement noting, “We were sorry to hear that our former Director of Music Dr. John Cranmer passed away last week. John was a respected and popular member of the College community who will be greatly missed. We send our condolences {…}
On Dec. 17, 2022, Japanese conductor Yuji Yuasa died at the age of 77. The conductor was a master from the Vienna Music University for 30 years and became one of the most beloved professors in the industry. He was also well-known in Japan and was known as a teacher who systematically analyzed the essence of traditional conducting. He was {…}
On Dec. 10, 2022, tenor John Aler died at the age of 73. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 4, 1949, Aler grew up in Maryland and attended Catholic University where he studied voice with Rilla Mervine and Raymond McGuire. He graduated with a B.A. in music and an M.M. in Vocal Performance. He went on to attend the Juilliard {…}
British baritone Stephen Roberts has died at the age of 73. Roberts was a well-known concert and oratorio performer and a champion of the English choral tradition. He collaborated in particular with such conductors as Sir David Willcocks and Richard Hickox in many performances and recordings. Abroad he toured Spain, Italy, Mexico, Sri Lanka, France, and Hong Kong, among others. {…}
On Dec. 17, Bas Kuijlenburg passed away in a tragic accident at the age of 60. The bass baritone was on his way to rehearsal when he collided head-on with an ambulance. Kuijlenburg was born in 1962 and studied social sciences before taking on music and solo singing at the conservatory in Utrecht. Kuijlenburg went on to take lessons with bass {…}