Cornelis Opthof (February 10, 1930 – December 16, 2008) was a
Dutch-born Canadian bass-baritone who sang with the
Canadian Opera Company for fifty years, its longest serving member.
["In memoriam Cornelis Opthof (1930–2008)" ( March 22, 2009) The Free Library]
Biography
Opthof was born in
Rotterdam in 1930 and immigrated to Canada in 1949 where he studied classical voice with Catharina Hendrikse. In 1957, he was awarded a scholarship at the Royal Conservatory of Music and, in 1959, he made his debut as Alcalde in ''
La forza del destino
' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...
'' with the
Canadian Opera Company (where he remained a member for fifty years, performing in over 75 productions). He made his
Metropolitan Opera debut in 1976, opposite
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s.
She possessed ...
as Riccardo, in ''
I Puritani'', having previously sung with her on a number of occasions which included being invited to Australia by
Richard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge ( ) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australian conductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performances ...
to tour with his wife.
[
He made some noteworthy recordings of songs by ]Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...
with Glenn Gould as an accompanist. He also made a number of opera recordings with Joan Sutherland.[Cornelis Opthof at allmusic]
Opthof died in Toronto on December 16, 2008, and was survived by his wife Natalia and their three children.[
]
References
External links
Photograph of Cornelis Opthof
1930 births
2008 deaths
20th-century Canadian male opera singers
Dutch emigrants to Canada
Musicians from Rotterdam
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