Norman Bailey

British opera singer Norman Bailey was known for his penetrating timbre, vivid diction, and dramatic acting. He was a Wagner specialist with a deep understanding of his characters' psychological complexities. He was born in Birmingham, England in 1933 and his family moved to South Africa after the end of World War II. Bailey's talent for singing was first discovered while he was a theology student at Rhodes University. After hearing him sing, his vocal instructor suggested that he change his major to music, which was ultimately very good advice. Later, he studied at the Vienna Music Academy under Josef Witt, Adolf Vogel, and Julius Patzak. In 1959, he made his debut performing the role of Tobias Mill in Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio with the Vienna Chamber Opera. He then sang at the Landestheater Linz from 1960 to 1963, followed by the Deutche Oper am Rhein from 1964 to 1967. Also in 1967, he had his first performance at La Scala in Milan, and he made his U.K. debut in a production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, which began a long association with Sadler's Wells Theatre. The following year, he sang the role of Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger con Nurnberg, conducted by Reginald Goodall. This became one of his signature roles, along with Wotan from Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, which he first performed in 1966 in Oldenburg, Germany. In the 1970s, Bailey continued working with the English National Opera (formerly Sadler's Wells Theatre) and sang his signature roles throughout Europe and in the United States which included a debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976. He was a master at these roles in the original German language as well as the English translations performed with the ENO. Bailey also enjoyed singing contemporary music and in 1985 he created the Johann Matthys role in the premiere of Goehr's Behold the Sun, in Duisberg. He maintained a busy performance schedule throughout the 1990s, and gradually shifted to performing mostly in the U.S. At this time he lived in Idaho with his wife Kristine Ciesinski, who was also an opera singer. In 1996 he made his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival with a very convincing portrayal of Schigolch from Berg's Lulu. He continued to perform until he suffered a stroke in 2008 which led to his retirement. Bailey passed away in Rexburg, Idaho in 2021.
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