Mexican tenor Juan del Bosco has died at the age of 41. Del Bosco was the founder and President of the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, which in its first year became the third largest Festival in Mexico. He was also the founder of Passion for the Opera, which aimed to support operatic vocal careers. Outside of his managerial {…}
(Credit: Marco Borgrreve) On March 31, 2025, conductor John Wilton Nelson died at the age of 83. Born in Costa Rica, on Dec. 6, 1941, Nelson studied at Wheaton College and later at the Juilliard School of Music with Jean Morel. Following his studies, he went on to become the music director of the Greenwich Philharmonia in Connecticut and the {…}
Tenor Vladimir Shcherbakov has died at the age of 86. Born on July 7, 1939 in Ashgabat, the Russian-born tenor studied at the Saratov Conservatory and graduated in 1968. That same year, he became a soloist at the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1977, he became a soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre and would stay with the company until {…}
American mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Russo has died at the age of 64. According to reports, Russo died of cancer. Born in 1960, Russo studied singing at Fordham University and Western Connecticut State University and went on to win top prizes in 1998 and 1999 in the Classical Productions vocal competition at Carnegie Hall. She was also a finalist in the Operafest {…}
Baritone Angelo Nardinocchi has died at the age of 81. Born in Italy, the baritone studied at the Conservatorio di S. Cecilia. Nardinocchi went on to make his debut in Spoleto as Marcello in “La Bohème.” A year after his debut he went on to perform the role of Rigoletto, a role that went on to become his signature. Following the {…}
Pianist Robert Sutherland has died. Born in 1930, Sutherland began his career as a pianist in the early 1970s. He was later chosen by Maria Callas to accompany her for what was to be the last series of recitals. He would become a friend and confidant and later wrote a book entitled “Maria Callas: Diaries of a Friendship,” which recounted {…}
on March 4, 2025, former opera director Jean-Louis Pichon died at the age 76. Le Progrès reported that the police found his lifeless body at his home in Saint-Etienne late Tuesday, March 4. Pichon was born on Sept. 18, 1948, and went on to study classics. He then researched theatre and in 1969 attended a master’s thesis devoted to Racine’s {…}
Metropolitan Opera bass trombonist Stephen Norrell has died. Norrell studied music at the Juilliard School of Music, where he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in trombone performance. He went on to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1981 to 2018. In addition to his post at the Met, he also served as a faculty member of the Manhattan School {…}
Belgium conductor Herman Engels has died. Engels studied at the Lemmens Institute (Leuven) and the Antwerp and Brussels Music Conservatories. He studied conducting for choirs under Hans Grischkat and Wilhelm Ehmann and for orchestras under Otmar Suitner (Mozarteum Salzburg) and Pierre Dervaux (Paris). He went on to become the second director and assistant of Vic Nees at the BRTN radio choir {…}
On Feb. 18, 2025, Conductor Daniel Lipton died at the age of 84. Born in Paris, the conductor grew up in New York but eventually returned to his city of birth for his studies. He went on to work in Denver, Florence, Houston, and Zurich. He later became the chief conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Colombia in Colombia from {…}
On Feb. 20, 2025, Finnish composer Ilkka Kuusisto died at the age of 91. Kuusisto was born in Helsinki on April 26, 1933, and became interested in music as a teenager when he first heard jazz. He went on to study at the Sibelius Academy and studied composition with Aarre Merikanto and Nils-Eric Fougstedt. Kuusisto began his career as a {…}
