Jerusalem, Siegfried

Jerusalem, Siegfried, prominent German tenor; b. Oberhausen, April 17, 1940. He received training in violin and piano at the Essen Folkwangschule, where he played principal bassoon in its orch. He began his career as an orchestral bassoonist in 1961, and was a member of the Stuttgart Radio Sym. Orch. (1972–77). He began serious vocal study in Stuttgart with Hertha Kalcher in 1972, appearing in minor roles at the Württemberg State Theater from 1975. He sang Lohengrin in Darmstadt and Aachen in 1976, and then at the Hamburg State Opera in 1977. That same year he made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Froh, returning in later seasons as Lohengrin, Walther, Parsifal, and Loge in the Solti-Hall mounting of the Ring cycle in 1983. After making his first appearance at the Berlin Deutsche Oper as Tamino in 1978, he became a leading member of the company. He made his U.S. debut with the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Lohengrin on Jan. 10, 1980, his British debut at London’s Coliseum as Parsifal on March 16, 1986, and his Covent Garden debut in London on March 18, 1986, singing Erik; he also appeared at the Vienna State Opera, Milan’s La Scala, and the Paris Opéra. His later appearances at Bayreuth were highlighted by his portrayals of Siegfried (1990, 1992,1995) and Tristan (1993). He also sang Siegfried at the Lyric Opera in Chicago in 1995 and in Berlin in 1996. His portrayal of Tristan at the Los Angeles Opera in 1997 was acclaimed, and he also won accolades for his Loge and Siegfried at the Metropolitan Opera that year.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire