Endrik Wottirch has died at the age of 53. The Wiener Volksoper announced the news that he suffered a heart attack. Wottrich was born in Celle, Germany and went on to earn a diploma in violin studies at Juilliard and became a member of the Berlin Staatsoper through the 1990s. He would make his stage debut in 1992 as Cassio in {…}
Mezzo-soprano Kristine Jepson has passed away at the age of 54. Jepson was born in Iowa and studied music at Indiana University. The mezzo had an international career and went on to appear in over 25 operas at houses across Europe and the United States including the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera. Among the roles, she {…}
It has been a hard few days in the opera Community. Over the weekend, Manfred Jung passed away and on Tuesday, tenor Paul Gyton passed away as well. Gyton was not a major soloist, but instead remained a loyal member of the chorus of the Welsh National Opera for a whopping 40 years. The tenor joined the ensemble on April 12, {…}
Nada Puttar-Gold has died at the age of 93. The mezzo-soprano died on March 28, 2017, and was a beloved Croatian singer. Her career lasted 30 years as she rose quickly to fame. She interpreted more than fifty opera roles and appeared more than 1,000 times on opera stages and at concert halls around the world. Among her greatest accomplishments was {…}
Rita Orlandi has passed away at the age of 79. The Italian soprano, who died on April 8, 2017, had a major international career from the 1960s through the 1980s and was very acclaimed for her Verdi heroines. She made her professional stage debut in Milan in 1963 at the Teatro Nuovo as Giovanna in Verdi’s “Giovanna d’Arco.” Orlandi was {…}
German tenor Manfred Jung has passed away at age 76. The tenor is perhaps best known for taking on the role of Siegfried in “Götterdämmerung” for Bayreuth’s centennial Ring cycle and also appeared at the 1975 Salzburg Easter Festival under the direction of Herbert Von Karajan. He was lauded for his work and even obtained a prize from Orpheus magazine. {…}
Kathleen Cassello has passed away at the age of 58. The Opera de Marseille, where she was very famous and sang extensively, announced her passing via Twitter. Cassello made a name for herself after winning first prize in the Salzburg Mozart competition in 1985. She went on to tour extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Cassello made her European {…}
American soprano Roberta Knie passed away on March 16, 2017, at the age of 79. Knie was born on March 13, 1968, and was best known for her work in Wagner’s operas. She made her professional debut in 1964 as Elizabeth in “Tannhäuser” at the Hagen Theater. Her next major career milestone took place in 1974 when she was asked {…}
Last week, conductor Fiora Corradetti Contino left us forever, leaving a massive gap in the artistic community. The Italian-American was one of the most important figures of the 20th century, even if her profile was not given the exposure it often deserved. Contino, who passed away in Carmel Indiana on March 5 at the age of 91, founded the Amherst {…}
Famed Italian conductor Alberto Zedda passed away on Monday, March 6, 2017, at the age of 89. The conductor was born on Jan. 2, 1928. The conductor famously studied under Antonino Votto and Carlo Maria Giulini debuting in Milan in 1956. The opera of that occasion was Rossini’s “Il Barbiere Di Siviglia,” establishing him as a Rossini specialist for the {…}
Kurt Moll has passed away at the age of 78. The German bass was recognized as one of the finest singers of the 20th century and was known for his work in the German repertoire. Before becoming a singer, Moll trained to become a professional cellist. At the time he was also in the school choir and the conductor encouraged {…}