Seppo Ruohonen (25 April 1946 — 1 March 2020) was a Finnish operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

and voice

pedagog Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

Education

Ruohonen trained initially under Lea Piltti, and later continued in Vienna at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

school and the ''Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst'' (now the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university located in Vienna, established in 1817. With a student body of over three thousa ...

, where he obtained three separate degrees (opera, lied and oratorio, and voice), all with the highest available grade.

Career

Ruohonen's professional debut came in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

in 1969, singing Don José's role in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...

''. He was afterwards signed by the

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the ...

, where he performed a total of 23 roles, in nearly 250 performances. From 1978 to 1994 he was attached to

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's '' Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Fred ...

. He also had attachments to

and

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the D ...

. He furthermore appeared as guest in numerous productions in countries including the UK, France, Italy, USA and Russia, as well as at the

Savonlinna Opera Festival Savonlinna Opera Festival ( fi, Savonlinnan oopperajuhlat) is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna (St. Olaf's Castle), built in 1475. The castle is located amid spectacular lake ...

. His career spanned over 40 years, and comprised over 100 major roles. From 1999 to 2004, Ruohonen served as professor of opera coaching at the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It al ...

. He also recorded extensively, across genres from opera and operetta to classical and religious music.

Awards and honours

In 2011, Ruohonen received the ' medal of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

Personal life

Seppo Ruohonen's younger brothers also sing professionally, as the pop and folk duo Matti ja Teppo. As children, they sang together at weddings and other events, and were later joined by future operatic bass

Matti Salminen Matti Kalervo Salminen (born 7 July 1945) is a Finnish operatic bass, now retired, who has sung at the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival. He is distinguished by an imposing figure and ...

. Ruohonen was nearly deaf in one ear, and would make sure to position himself on the stage so as to face the orchestra with his good ear. He died in 2020 following a long battle with cancer; he was survived by wife and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruohonen, Seppo Finnish tenors 20th-century opera singers 1946 births 2020 deaths People from Turku Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland Deaths from cancer in Finland