South African mezzo Evelyn Dalberg has died at the age of 86. Born on May 23, 1939, in Leipzig, Germany, Dalberg was trained at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where she obtained a performer’s Diplom She made her professional career at the Covent Garden in 1953, and went on to perform at the Theater Koblenz in Germany. With {…}
(Credit: Claudia Höhne) On Nov. 20, 2025, German conductor Lutz Rademacher died at the age of 56. The news was announced by the Landestheater Detmold, where he served as General Music Director from 2013 to 2021 and led the house’s symphonic orchestra. In a statement, the company said, “On behalf of the Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra’s board expresses its condolences on the {…}
On Nov. 11, 2025, Heldentenor Gary Lakes died at the age of 75. Born on Sept. 26, 1950, in Woodward, Oklahoma, and raised in Irving, Texas, Lakes studied at Southern Methodist University. He made his professional debut with the Seattle Opera in the role of Froh in 1981 in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.” In 1986 he went on to make his {…}
On Oct. 16, conductor Bernhard Klee died at the age of 89. Born on April 19, 1936, in Schleiz, Thuringia, Klee grew up in Jena and learned to play the piano, violin, and double bass. He was a member of the Leipzig Thomanerchor from 1948 to 1955, and at the age of 10, he heard his first Mozart opera, “Le {…}
American bass-baritone, conductor, and educator Willis Charles Patterson has died at 94. A Fulbright Scholar, Marian Anderson Award winner, and longtime professor at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Patterson championed the preservation and performance of Black art songs, Patterson was born on Nov. 27, 1930, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and after serving in the U.S. {…}
(Credit: DOB) Dutch mezzo-soprano Kaja Borris has died at the age of 77. Born on Jan. 8, 1939, Borris was born in The Hague and became an ensemble singer for the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The mezzo performed with the company for three decades, starting in 1971, performing such roles as Filipyevna in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” Frau Marthe Schwerdtlein in Gounod’s {…}
On Oct. 24, soprano Benita Valente died at 91. Born on Oct. 19, 1934, in Delano, California, she was first noticed by a high-school teacher who recommended lessons with Lotte Lehmann in Santa Barbara. She went on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Martial Singher and later with Margaret Harshaw, where she graduated in 1960. {…}
On Sept. 21 2025, American soprano Doris Jung Popper died at the age of 101. Born on Jan. 5, 1924, in Centralia, Illinois, Popper began her vocal studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and later studied at the Mannes College of Music and the Henry Street Settlement Music School in New York. She went on to earn a {…}
Repertoire pianist of the Wiener Staatsoper, Kristin Okerlund, has died. The Wiener Staatsoper announced the news, stating, “The solo repetiteurs at the Vienna State Opera are much more than just great pianists and outstanding musicians. The fact that they have a high level of technical skill and stylistic knowledge is a prerequisite for all the rehearsals, performances and keyboard {…}
On Oct. 14, 2025, soprano Roberta Alexander died at the age of 76. Born on March 3, 1949, in Lynchburg, Virginia, Alexander’s parents both studied music at Virginia State College, where they were pupils of Undine Smith Moore. She grew up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and she went on to study music at Central State University, the University of Michigan, {…}
The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires has announced the death of maestro Guillermo Brizzio. The famed Argentine theater took to social media and said, “The Teatro Colon bids farewell with great sadness to teacher Guillermo Brizzio, who served as Director of Theater Studies between 2005 and 2007. He was also the musical director of the Chamber Opera and integrated the {…}