Vinay, Ramón
Vinay, Ramón
Vinay, Ramón Chileán baritone, later tenor; b. Chilian (of French and Italian parents), Aug. 31,1912; d. Puebla, near Mexico City, Jan. 4,1996. He was a pupil of José Pierson in Mexico City, where he made his operatic debut as Alfonso in La Favorite (1931); after appearances in baritone roles, he pursued further training and turned to the tenor repertory, making his 2nddebut as Don José in Mexico City in 1943; he chose that same role for his N.Y. debut in 1945. On Feb. 22,1946, Vinay made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Don José; he remained on its roster until 1958, and sang there again from 1959 to 1962 and in 1965-66. He also appeared in Europe, opening the 1947-48 season at Milan’s La Scala in his most famous role, Otello; he sang at the Bayreuth Festivals (1952-57) and regularly at London’s Covent Garden (1953-60). From 1969 to 1971 he was artistic director of the Santiago Opera. Among his other roles were Bartolo, lago, Falstaff, Scarpia, Telramund, Parsifal, Tristan, Siegfried, and Tannhäuser.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire