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Ramey, Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Ramey, Samuel, 1942–, American operatic bass, b. Colby, Kans. He studied music at Kansas State and Wichita State (grad. 1968) universities and debuted with the New York City Opera in Bizet's Carmen ...

Gruenberg, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Gruenberg, Louis gro͞oˈənbûrg [key], 1884–1964, American composer, b. Russia; pupil of Busoni. After concert tours as a pianist in Europe and America, he settled in the United States as a compos...

Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo

(Encyclopedia)Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo, 1927–99, Spanish lyric tenor, b. Canary Islands. Widely considered the finest light tenor of his time, he was admired for his bright timbre, fine phrasing, and acting skill....

Bergonzi, Carlo

(Encyclopedia)Bergonzi, Carlo, 1924–2014, Italian opera singer. He began his career as a baritone, debuting in 1948, but he made a second debut as a tenor in 1951 after realizing his voice was better suited to th...

Martinelli, Giovanni

(Encyclopedia)Martinelli, Giovanni jōvänˈnē märtēnĕlˈlē [key], 1885–1969, Italian-American operatic tenor. He made his debut in Milan in 1910 and sang (1913–46) at the Metropolitan Opera. His repertoir...

Hofmann, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Hofmann, Joseph, 1876–1957, Polish-American pianist, b. near Cracow; pupil of Anton Rubinstein. He toured Europe as a child prodigy, making his American debut in 1887 at the Metropolitan Opera House...

Söderström, Elisabeth Anna

(Encyclopedia)Söderström, Elisabeth Anna, 1927–2009, Swedish soprano, b. Stockholm, studied Royal Academy of Music and Opera School, Stockholm. Known for her warm and vibrantly beautiful voice, her technical fi...

Hvorostovsky, Dmitri Aleksandrovich

(Encyclopedia)Hvorostovsky, Dmitri Aleksandrovich, 1962–2017, Russian lyric baritone, b. Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Known for his passionate and vocally mellifluous performances, broad repertoire, superb technique, an...

Terfel, Bryn

(Encyclopedia)Terfel, Bryn, 1965–, Welsh bass-baritone, b. Pant Glas as Bryn Terfel Jones. One of the most acclaimed singers of his era, he has a voice of rare warmth, richness, and power. His rise to public prom...

Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth

(Encyclopedia)Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth shwärtsˈkôpf [key], 1915–2006, German lyric soprano. After studying music in Berlin she was trained by Maria Ivogün. She sang with the Berlin State Opera (1938–42) and b...