Australian soprano Taryn Fiebig has died at the age of 49. In 2017 the soprano was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and withdrew from a number of roles to undergo treatment. In 2018 she returned to the stage but the cancer returned and she passed away on March 20, 2021. In a statement from the soprano’s family, the soprano died at {…}
Tenor Robert Gard has died at the age of 94. Born in Cornwall, England, in 1927, Gard studied at the Guildhall School of Music with Dino Borgioli. In 1960, Gard went to Australia on a tour with “The Merry Widow” and returned to star in a production of “Lock Up Your Daughters” in Melbourne in 1961.” He returned to Australia {…}
Composer Antón García Abril died at the age of 87 from COVID-19. Born on May 19, 1933, in Teruel, Spain, Abril studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. He was one of the most prominent composers in Spain and his work exceeds 200 scores for Spanish cinema and television programs, in addition to having been the author of {…}
Bass-baritone Luciano Di Pasquale has died at the age of 57. According to reports out of Italy, Di Pasquale died due to a heart condition. Born in Teramo, Italy, Di Pasquale went on to study with mezzo-soprano Marina Gentile and received a diploma with the highest marks at the Conservatory of Rodi Garganico. He later studied with Elio Battaglia and {…}
(Photo by Jamie Street) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. James Levine died. And the short and direct words of facts seem the only way to speak about it. A very controversial and big persona of {…}
Conductor James Levine died on March 9, 2021 at the age of 77 in Palm Springs, California. The death was confirmed by his physician Dr. Len Horovitz and according to Riverside County’s Department of Public Health the cause of James Levine’s death was cardiopulmonary arrest, with Parkinson’s disease as a contributing factor. The maestro was best known for the four {…}
Joan Weldon has died at the age of 90 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The singer and actress was born in San Francisco, California on August 5, 1930, and was raised by her grandmother. She attended Galileo High School and at the age of 16 made her first public singing appearance as a member of the San Francisco Opera company chorus. {…}
Renée Doria has died at the age of 100. The soprano was born Renée Dumazert in Perpignan, France on March 6, 1921, and went on to study piano, solfege, and harmony. She later studied voice with Umberto Valdarmini, and made her singing debut in concert at the age of 18. She officially made her operatic debut in 1942, at the {…}
Arts administrator Bob McPhee passed away on March 13, 2021, following a long battle with cancer. Born in 1956, McPhee graduated from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a baritone, perfoming in theatre, opera, radio, and television. After studying arts administration at Stanford University, McPhee served as artistic director and conductor for choral groups, and taught private {…}
Esteemed director Ugo Tessitore has died at the age of 82 due to COVID-19 on Feb. 10, 2021. Born in Rome, Italy, Tessitore studied at the University of California, Berkeley and in 1970 returned to Italy to work with Luca Ronconi as his assistant. With Ronconi, he worked on some of the director’s legendary productions. Tessitore went on to have {…}
Violinist and Manager Lorenzo Anselmi has died at the age of 87. Anselmi died after months of suffering from health conditions and a heart problem. The violinist was soprano Renata Scotto’s husband and they lived in Saffi, in the center of Savona, Italy. Anselmi was the first violinist at the Teatro alla Scala and met Scotto while playing for the {…}