Robert Hale

Robert Hale (August 22, 1938 – August 23, 2023) was an American operatic bass-baritone. He was first a leading baritone at the New York City Opera for a decade, where he performed, alongside Beverly Sills, mostly in Mozart operas and in the revival of belcanto opera such as Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Hale then shifted to heavier roles, performing the title role of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer first in 1978 at the Opernhaus Wuppertal, Germany. After his success there, he became in demand to perform the role at leading opera houses in Europe and the United States. He went further and tackled the role of Wotan in Wagner's Ring cycle, which he first performed in Wiesbaden in 1984, then at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1986. It became his signature role, performed and recorded worldwide, and he regarded the Berlin company as his artistic home for almost two decades. Life and career Born in Kerrville, Texas, on August 22, 1938, Robert Hale spent his childhood in Louisiana. His family then moved to Oklahoma City, where he attended high school and college. He graduated from Bethany-Peniel College (now Southern Nazarene University) in 1955 with a Bachelor of Music degree. He then completed his master's degree at the University of Oklahoma. During his studies there, he won the National Association of Teachers of Singing award in the Singer of the Year category. He completed further studies at Boston University and the New England Conservatory of Music. He won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. His voice teachers were Gladys Miller, Chloe Owen and Léopold Simoneau, and also Boris Goldovsky in New York. Early career in the United States Hale began his career as a recitalist appearing in concert halls across the United States. He made his operatic debut in 1965 in the title role of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Denver Opera. He appeared at the New York City Opera from 1967, first as Colline in Puccini's La bohème. He remained with the company as a leading baritone for 10 years, where was often seen in productions starring Beverly Sills, performing for example as Raimondo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor which was broadcast nationwide. Other roles in the revival of the then-neglected belcanto repertoire were Enrico in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, and Bellini's Giorgio in I puritani, and Ottoveso in Norma.