James King
Margarete Bäumer
Gaston Micheletti
Nicolae Herlea
Andre D'Arkor
Alain Vanzo
Franco Bonisolli
Julius Patzak
Anatoly Orfenov
Antonio Magini Coletti
Richard Leech
Cristy Solari
Giuseppe Giacomini
Fernando Valero
Tito Schipa
Hermann Jadlowker
Germaine Lubin
Giovanni Martinelli
As a boy, Thill had a powerful voice and on being called into the French Army in 1916 he entertained his fellow soldiers in my own way, with lots of enthusiasm and little technique. After two years of study he went to Naples in 1921 and studied with Fernando De Lucia. In later years, while waiting to go on stage, he would regularly muse what would De Lucia think He made his professional debut in 1924 and went on to continued success in a long career.
Artists

Biographies

  • Deon van der Walt

    Deon van der Walt

    Deon van der Walt was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1958 and studied singing at the University of Stellenbosch. He made his debut as Jaquino in Fidelio at the Kapstady Opera house even before graduating and numerous scholarships and awards allowed him to …

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  • Fernando Valero

    Fernando Valero

    Spanish tenor Fernando Valero was born in Écija in the province of Sevilla, on 6 December 1856. He first studied law, but then took to singing under Martin Salazar and the legendary tenor Enrico Tamberlick. He made his debut as Lorenzo at the Teatro Real …

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Articles, Interviews & Memories

  • Gigli

    Beniamino Gigli: The Record of Prejudice

    During the controversial period in his career, in the years leading up to and immediately following World War II, Beniamino Gigli was, above all, the most international of Italian singers, in both his personal orientation and in his arrangement of his itineraries. In effect, Gigli …

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  • Soprano Angel Joy Blue is Liu in San Diego Opera's TURANDOT

    Sitting down with Angel Joy Blue

    Soprano Angel Joy Blue is singing the role of the young slave girl Liù in the San Diego Opera production of Turandot on February 24 and 27, and March 2 and 4, 2018. Lise Lindstrom sings the title role of Turandot and Carl Tanner sings …

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Focus Feature

Le Postillon de Lonjumeau

Le postillon de Lonjumeau 1836

The history of opera is littered with shipwrecks which sail with great success when first launched only to sink into oblivion for one reason or another. Some are lost forever and some are re-floated only to sail out briefly before returning to dry-dock. It seems that ‘Le Postillon de Lonjumeau’ has become something of a pleasure boat which is only given the odd cruise in its home waters of France, kept afloat almost solely by its famous tenor aria of the same title. It is an aria full of verve, humour, melody requiring great vocal skill.

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