He was a Harvard
University student and sang in a university choir. In 1908 he finished his
scientific studies. On the advice of tenor Riccardo Martin he studied singing
under Isadore Luckstone and Herbert Witherspoon. He became a soloist of St.
Bartholomew's Church in New York and appeared at the concert hall in 1908 with
the Boston Festival Orchestra and the Handel and Haydn Society. His stage debut
was in 1911 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as young sailor in
"Tristan und Isolde" under Arturo Toscanini. A day after his debut,
he participated at the Metropolitan Opera in the American premiere of the opera
"Lobetanz" by Ludwig Thuille. Until 1914 he remained at the
Metropolitan Opera, where he participated in various premieres: in 1912 in the
American premiere of "Le Donne curiose" by Wolf Ferrari, in 1913 in
the premiere of "Cyrano de Bergérac" by Damrosch, the same year in
the first performance of the "Rosenkavalier", in 1914 in the premiere
of Charpentier's "Julien" as a partner of Enrico Caruso and Frances
Alda. After 1914 he appeared as a concert and oratorio singer and was one of
the leading performers in North America. In the 1930’s he appeared in many
concerts and especially valued as an evangelist in the passions of J. S. Bach;
the Dutch oratorio singer Tom Denijs described him as the best evangelist he
had ever heard. Around 1940, after a larynx surgery, he retired and since then
worked as teacher at the Malkin Conservatory in Boston.
Chronology of some
appearances
1911-1914 New York
Metropolitan Opera
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