Soprano Julia Kukely has died after a long illness at the age of 64. The soprano joined the Hungarian State Opera in 1978, becoming a prominent household name for the company and was also known at the Budapest Opera. She would continue with the company until her untimely death. In addition to her successful career in Hungary, Kukely performed in major {…}
American tenor Louis Roney has passed away as of Nov. 5, 2017. After serving five years as a commended gunnery officer for the U.S. Navy in World War II, Roney went on to make his debut at age 27 as Cavaradossi in “Tosca” with the New York Philharmonic. Roney was also among the very first Americans to sing in Italy’s {…}
Tenor Gaetano Bardini has passed away on Nov. 3, 2017. Born on Oct. 8, 1926, the tenor spent a major portion of his career in Prague where he gave numerous recitals and performed with a number of major orchestras and opera companies. He had a few major moments at the Metropolitan Opera, replacing Franco Corelli in “La Fanciulla del West.” {…}
Famed opera director Johannes Felsenstein has passed away on Oct. 30, 2017 at the age of 73. Born in 1944, he was the son of Walter Felsenstein, longtime director and founder of the Komische Oper Berlin. His father, unsurprisingly, was a major influence on his career growth, teaching the young Felsenstein about direction. Felsenstein would become an assistant at the {…}
On Oct. 27, 2017, British born tenor Brian Galliford passed away after a long struggle with cancer. He was just 53. Born on Jan. 8, 1964, Galliford studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, ultimately going on to a solid European career. He was a fixture at such theaters as Vorarlberger Landestheater Bregenz, Komische Oper Berlin, Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover, Vlaamse {…}
On October 9, 2017, the opera world lost one of its greatest conductors with the passing of Vincent La Selva. He leaves us at 88 years of age due to complications from dementia, according to his daughter Maria Vogt. A lifelong performer, La Selva began conducting student performances at the age of 12. He received his bachelor’s from the Julliard {…}
The Mariinsky Theatre has announced that on Oct. 16, bass Nikolai Petrovich Okhotnikov died at the age 81. For more than three decades Okhotnikov dedicated his life to the Kirov Theatre where he joined in 1971. He performed many leading roles including Kutuzov in “War and Peace,” Heinrich der Vogler in “Lohengrin,” Filippo II in “Don Carlo” and Gremin in “Eugene Onegin.” He was particularly well-known for his {…}
French tenor Andre Mallabrera has died recently, according to a report from ForumOpera. Born in Oran, France, in the year 1934, Mallabrera studied under his father, tenor Jose Mallabrera, before going on to study at the Algiers Conservatory. He made his professional debut in December of 1958, in the role of Count Almaviva in ‘The Barber of Seville’ with famed {…}
Renowned bass-baritone singer Pieter Vis died on Friday, Sept. 29 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Vis enjoyed a long and storied career in the arts which lasted over 50 years; born in 1949 he became known as a famous boy soprano in his hometown of Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was classically trained by such figures as soprano Iza Valeton-Maas Geesteranus, Viennese pianist {…}
Soprano Tsisana Tatishvili has passed away on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. The Georgian soprano was born on Dec. 30, 1939, and had a formidable career all around Europe. She kicked things off as a soloist at the Tbilisi State Opera in 1963 and would go on to tour a number of roles around the old continent, including Tatiana in “Eugene {…}
Opera and musical theatre star Brenda Lewis has passed away in her home at Westport, Connecticut on Saturday, September 16th, as confirmed by her son Michael Asen. Lewis was noted for the adaptability which allowed her to swiftly learn new roles, making her professional debut less than two years after beginning voice lessons during her years in college. On the {…}