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 {…}
Serbian baritone Nikola Mitic has passed away on Jan. 25, 2019. Born on Nov. 27, 1938, in the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Mitic began his career when he became a member of the RTB Choir and later enrolled at the Music Academy. After his first semester, he became a soloist of the National Opera theater and would go on to perform such roles {…}
Theo Adam has died at 92. According to the great bass’ agency, the family stated that Adam died on Jan. 11, 2019 in Dresden in his hometown. Born on August 1, 1926, Adam sang with the Dresdner Kreuzchor as a boy and went on to serve in the German Army in World War II. At the end of the war, {…}
Miguel Sierra has died at the age of 90. Platea Magazine announced that the Spanish tenor died on Jan. 7. Sierra began his studies in Madrid under Luis Arnedillo and Eladio Chao and later studied in Mián. He went on to make his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in November 1959 in “La Dolores.” A year later {…}
Soprano Sylvia Geszty has passed away at the age of 84. The Hungarian soprano trained at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and went on to win numerous competitions, including the International Robert Schumann Competition. After finishing her studies, she made her Budapest Opera debut in 1959 and was immediately engaged by the Hungarian Philharmonic Society. In 1961, she {…}
Gordon Sandison has passed away. Born August 13, 1949, Sandison first studied drama at the College of Dramatic Art in Glasgow and received his diploma in Speech and Drama. Later he went on to win a Caird Scholarship to study music at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and took part in a master class on BBC 2 with Sir {…}