Plishka, Paul (Peter)
Plishka, Paul (Peter)
Plishka, Paul (Peter) , American bass; b. Old Forge, Pa., Aug. 28, 1941. He studied at Montclair, N.J., State Coll. From 1961 to 1965 he was a member of the Paterson (N.J.) Lyric Opera; in 1965 he joined the Metropolitan Opera National Co., and sang with it on tour. On June 27, 1967, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in a concert performance at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx as the Uncle-Priest in Madama Butterfly; he first sang on the Metropolitan’s stage as the Monk in La Gioconda on Sept. 21, 1967; remained on its roster for many years, most notably in such roles as King Marke, Leporello, Varlaam, Oroveso, Pimen, Gounod’s Méphistophélès, and Henry VIII in Anna Bolena. In 1992 he celebrated his 25th anniversary at the Metropolitan Opera in an acclaimed appearance as Falstaff. In 1993 he won critical accolades as Philip II at the Seattle Opera. In 1997 he portrayed Mozart’s Dr. Bartolo at the Metropolitan Opera. He also appeared as a concert singer with many of the major U.S. orchs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire