Renowned tenor Enrique del Portal has died at the age of 87. The tenor, who was one of the most important proponents of Zarzuela, died after suffering a fall that had him in bed-rest. Unfortunately, del Portal could not get the right medical attention due to the healthcare collapse as result of the coronavirus outbreak in Spain. Del Portal was {…}
Playwright and librettist Terrence McNally has died of the Coronavirus at the age of 81. McNally was born November 3, 1938 in St. Petersburg, Florida and went on to study at Columbia University as a journalism major. After graduation, he moved to Mexico to focus on his writing. He would then go on to become stage manager of the Actors {…}
Sir John Tooley, cherished musical administrator, died on March 18, 2020. Born in Rochester in 1924, Tooley served as assistant adjutant during World War II; he later joined the Ford Motor Company, where he furthered his experience in administration before he was appointed as secretary to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1952 to 1955. After this, Tooley {…}
(Credit: © Wiener Staatsoper/Axel Zeininger) Former Vienna State Opera Chorus Director Ernst Dunshirn passed away on March 17. He was 85-years-old. Dunshirn was born on Feb. 6, 1935 near Vienna and studied conducting and church music in Vienna and France. From there he went on tours with the Vienna Chamber Choir before eventually working as choir director with such organizations {…}
(Credit: English Touring Company / Owen White Management) Welsh soprano Jennifer Rhys-Davies has passed away on the weekend of March 7, 2020, as confirmed by her daughter. While the exact cause of death is unknown, for the last several months, Rhys-Davies had battled an unspecified illness. Born in Wales, Rhys-Davies studied at Trinity College of Music with the late Audrey {…}
(Credit: Teatro alla Scala) The Teatro alla Scala has announced the death of architect Vittorio Gregotti due to the coroanvirus at the age of 92. Gregotti designed the Arcimboldi Opera Theatre, a futuristic structure, that was used while La Scala was under renovation from 2002 to 2004. He was also well-known for having designed the Marassi stadium in Genoa for {…}
Composer Charles Wuorinen has died at the age of 81. The composer died on March 11 from complications after sustaining a fall in September 2019. Born in New York on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Wuorinen graduated from Trinity School in New York City as valedictorian in 1956 and later received a B.A. and M.A. in music from Columbia University. {…}
Luca Targetti has died at the age of 62 from the coronavirus. The Teatro alla Scala announced the new via a press release that stated, “Sovrintendente Dominique Meyer, Music Director Riccardo Chailly, all the artists and staff of Teatro alla Scala together with the Academy Teatro alla Scala have learnt with dismay of Luca Targetti’s sudden passing after a short {…}
(Credit: Scobar123) On March 6, soprano Elinor Ross passed away. Known for her vocal warmth and dramatic authenticity, Ross interpreted many roles in the classic Italian repertoire. Born August 1, 1926, in Tampa Florida, Ross began her education at Syracuse University before moving to New York. Under the tutelage of William Herman, she studied alongside figures such as Roberta Peters, {…}
Famed composer and conductor Anton Coppola has passed away on March 9, 2020 at age 102. Coppola was born on March 21, 1917 and started his musical journey as a member of the Metropoitan Opera Children’s Chorus. He served in World War II and would become conductor at the Radio City Music Hall as well as the director of the {…}
The Sarasota Opera has announced that Greg Trupiano has passed away. The company revealed that the former artistic administrator died on Feb. 18 at the age of 64 in a hospital of cold or flu-like symptoms. Trupiano began working with the Sarasota Opera in 1987, and remained with the Saratoga Opera for more than 30 years as both the longtime {…}