The Puerto Rican tenor Antonio Barasorda has died. Barasorda died on July 9, 2018, of a heart attack, a few days before he was to give a concert at the Puerto Rico conservatory. The tenor was being treated for a Colon tumor and was 72-years-old. The tenor first started his career performing such roles as Canio, Calaf, Dick Johnson, Radamés, {…}
Joyce Blackham has passed away at the age of 84. The mezzo, known for her signature role of “Carmen,” starred alongside Plácido Domingo at the 1977 Edinburgh Festival and went on to sing the role in Brussels, Cairo, Johannesburg, Auckland, New York, Fort Worth, and Oslo, as well as Bulgaria and Canada. A student of Joseph Hislop at the Guildhall {…}
Italian baritone Claudio Desderi has passed away. The baritone, known for his buffo roles, was the son of Italian composer Ettore Desderi and came to fame after his 1969 debut at the Edinburgh Festival in Rossini’s “Il Signor Bruschino.” From there he became a fixture at Salzburg, Glyndebourne, and Pesaro in Mozart and Rossini roles. However, he would have his biggest breaks {…}
The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced the death of baritone Barry McDaniel. The Kansas born baritone, who won a Fulbright in 1953 and spent the rest of his life singing in Germany, was part of the Deutsche Oper from 1962 to 1999. Born to musical parents McDaniel’s took up piano at the age of nine and would go on to {…}
Dutch tenor Hubert Delamboye has died. Delamboye studied piano at the conservatory of Maastricht and came under the vocal tutelage of Leo Ketelaars. After graduating from the conservatory in 1974, he went on to perform at major theaters in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Turin, Vienna, and Zurich. He was a major figure at Salzburg Festival where he performed {…}
Soprano Kristine Ciesinski has died in a crash in Grand Teton National Park at the age of 65. Ciesinski was identified as the pilot of a glider that crashed in Utah. The soprano was a certified flight instructor, who started flying in 1998 after retiring from the operatic scene. Ciesinski was well-known for singing at the opera major theaters including {…}
Mezzo-soprano Isabelle Andréani has died. The French mezzo died at the age of 95. Born in Corsica in 1923, Andréani was well known for starring in the Raymond Rouleau production of Bizet’s “Carmen” in 1959. That production included the sets and costumes by Lila de Nobili and would be shown 367 times at the Palais Garnier until 1970. She was also known {…}
Mezzo-soprano Huguette Tourangeau has passed away. The Canadian Mezzo, who won the Metropolitan National Council auditions in 1964, went on to have an international career after her successful debut as Mercédès in “Carmen” under Zubin Mehta, in 1964. From there she went on to perform leading roles, including “Carmen,” which she toured in North America in a total of 56 cities {…}
John Oliver, who founded the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus in 1970, and remained its sole conductor until his retirement in August 2015, has died. Oliver died on April 11, 2018 at the Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, following a long illness, at age 78. Born to Marie and Frank Oliver on June 4, 1939, in Teaneck, N.J, Oliver {…}
Tenor Michel Sénéchal has passed away at the age of 91 on April 1, 2018. The international singer who hailed from France was known for his work in the French and Italian repertoire, ranging from Baroque to contemporary works. Sénéchal maintained a stable career in Paris and Brussels and also appeared in Salzburg and Glyndebourne. He also made debuts at the Aix-en-Provence Festival {…}
Soprano María Orán has died. The Spanish soprano born in Tenerife died on March 9, after a long illness. The recognized artist, who studied under Lola Rodríguez Aragón, went on to sing in many of the leading festivals in Spain as well as Portugal, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, and Israel. Throughout her career, she also worked with {…}