English tenor Joseph Ward has died at the age of 87. The singer, formerly a baritone, toured in the 1950s with the Carl Rosa Opera, appearing in several operas including the company’s final production staged in Nottingham in 1956. At the beginning of his career as a baritone, Ward created the role of Starveling in Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” {…}
Opera and concert producer Mark Richter has died, according to Alamo City Opera music director Kristin Roach. Music director Roach announced the death of the 51-year-old who was currently serving as the artistic director of the Alamo City Opera. Richter died on April 28, 2019, at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, where he was hospitalized for about 10 days. Richter grew up on the {…}
American soprano Charity “Sunshine” Tillemann-Dick passed away at a hospital in Baltimore on Apr. 23, 2019, surrounded by her family. She was 35. Raised in Denver, Tillemann-Dick grew up in a large family with an appreciation for the performing arts. According to BBC, “she loved to sing from an early age, cherishing family trips to the symphony and opera.” Originally {…}
Soprano Heather Harper died on April 22, 2019 at age 88. The soprano was born in Belfast on May 8, 1930 to Hugh, a lawyer, and his wife, Mary, who were amateur musicians. She was one of four children and at a young age was encouraged to play the piano. From there Harper and two of her siblings went on {…}
Bavarian Bass-Baritone Hans Gunter Nöcker has passed away on March 20, 2019, according to the Suddeutsche Zeitung. Born in Hagen, Germany on January 22, 1927, Nöcker began his studies in Braunschweig, before going on to Munich. Here he would spend several decades with the Bavarian State Opera, appearing in leading roles in such works as “Tosca,” “Parisfal,” Lohengrin,” “Elektra,” “Fidelio,” {…}
Legendary voice teacher Anthony Frisell has died. The voice teacher died on Feb. 27 and will be remembered for for his contributions to the opera community, particularly his acclaimed book series. Born in New Orleans to Italian parents, the voice teacher went on to direct operas with Dorothy Kirsten, Zinka Milanov, Mario Del Monaco, Leonard Warren, Victoria de los Angeles and {…}
American bass-baritone and beloved Opera Australia vocal coach Joshua Hecht passed away on Mar. 29, 2019 at the age of 91. Hecht was born in New York City in 1928, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. A protégé of soprano Rosa Ponselle, he received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University and proceeded to perform with over 50 opera {…}
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 {…}