Tenor Sergei Balashov has died at the age of 47. The news was announced by Moscow’s Stanislavsky Opera where he was a lead tenor. However, no cause of death was given. A graduate of the Russian Academy of Theatre Art in 1999, Balashov studied with R. Nemchinskaya and Y. Udalov. He went on to make his debut at the Stanislavsky {…}
Donald Grayston Burgess has passed away sometime around March 7, 2019. Born on April 7, 1932, Burgess would join his local choir school in Canterbury at the age of eight before wartime bombings would force his family, among many others, to relocate to Cornwall. Returning to Canterbury as head chorister at the age of 13, Burgess would continue to dedicate {…}
The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced the passing of bass Ivan Sardi. The singer died on Feb. 23, 2019, and became a staple of the opera house throughout 36 years. Born in 1930, in Budapest, Hungary, Sardi made his Deutsche Oper debut in 1961 in the role of Masetto in “Don Giovanni” and would follow that in the premiere of {…}
The Latvian opera director Andrejs Žagars has died after a long illness. Born on Oct. 16, 1958, Žagars began working in theater and then eventually transitioned to film He went on to act in numerous feature films before opening up several cafes in Riga. In 1996, the Latvian entrepreneur was then appointed to the post of director of the Latvian {…}
Andre Previn has died at the age of 89. The German-American composer, conductor, and pianist was born in Germany and left in 1938 to New York. He eventually naturalized himself in the United States and moved to Los Angeles. In his youth, he studied piano and conducting and began his career in Hollywood arranging and composing Hollywood film scores. In total, {…}
German baritone Ekkehard Wlaschiha has died at the age of 80. The baritone, who passed away on Feb. 20, was born in Pirna, Saxony, and studied music at the Musikhochschule in Weimar. The baritone started his operatic career at the Theater Gera and went on to perform at the Sächsisches Landestheater Dresden-Radebeul, the Nationaltheater Weimar, and the Leipzig Opera. He became a member of the {…}
French baritone Jean-Christophe Benoît passed away on Feb. 22, 2019, at the age of 93. He was born in Paris on Mar. 18, 1925 to a family of musicians. His mother, Léontine Benoit-Granier, was a composer, and his father, Henri Benoit, was a violinist. His sister Denise was an actress, dancer, and singer. Benoît studied under Olivier Messiaen at the {…}
Composer Dominick Argento has passed away at age 91. Born in 1927 in York Pennsylvania, the composer would earn both his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the Peabody Conservatory. He then got a Ph. D. from the Eastman School of Music, followed by Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships that enabled him to study in Italy. From there he became the music {…}
The Vienna State Opera has announced that Austrian soprano Wilma Lipp passed away at her home on Jan. 26, 2019. She was 93, having been born in Vienna on Apr. 26, 1925. Lipp trained with Friedel Sindel, Paola Novikova, and Toti dal Monte in Milan, eventually joining the Vienna State Opera, where she became an important leading Mozart soprano. She {…}
English bass-baritone Lynton Black has died. The singer studied at the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship from the Countess of Munster and made his professional debut at the Royal Opera House, singing High Priest in “Teseo” in the 1985 English Bach Festival celebrating Handel’s tercentenary. His Royal Opera debut came in the role of Luther in “Les Contes {…}
Sanford Sylvan, celebrated American baritone, has died on Jan. 29, 2019. The cause of death is unknown at this time, but it is believed to be the result of a respiratory infection. Born on Dec. 19, 1953, Sylvan would study at the Manhattan School of Music before going on to enjoy a successful career in the performing arts, singing with {…}