Jon Vickers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jon Vickers
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| Born |
Jonathan Stewart Vickers
October 29, 1926 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
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| Died | July 10, 2015 (aged 88) Ontario, Canada
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| Education | The Royal Conservatory |
| Occupation | Opera singer (tenor) |
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| Awards | Governor General's Awards |
Jon Vickers (born Jonathan Stewart Vickers, October 29, 1926 – July 10, 2015) was a famous Canadian opera singer. He was known as a "heldentenor," which means he had a very powerful and strong tenor voice. This type of voice is perfect for heroic roles in operas.
Jon Vickers was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He was the sixth of eight children in his family. In 1950, he earned a special scholarship to study opera. He attended The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In 1957, Vickers joined the Royal Opera House in London, England. Three years later, in 1960, he also joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He became famous around the world for singing many different roles. His strong voice and excellent technique allowed him to perform in German, French, and Italian operas. People also admired his powerful stage presence and how deeply he understood his characters.
In 1968, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honor in Canada. In 1998, Vickers received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. This award is Canada's top honor for people in the performing arts.
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Jon Vickers' Career Highlights
Jon Vickers studied music with George Lambert. He sang professionally in Canada during the early to mid-1950s. His international career began in 1957. He performed at the Royal Opera House in London. His first big role there was Riccardo in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera.
Famous Roles and Performances
Vickers continued to perform at the Royal Opera House into the 1980s. He made many roles his own, including:
- Énée in Berlioz's Les Troyens
- Radamès in Verdi's Aida
- The main character in Verdi's Don Carlos
- Samson in Handel's Samson
- Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio
- Tristan in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
- Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
- The main character in Britten's Peter Grimes
Some critics even said his performance as Tristan was the best since the famous singer Lauritz Melchior.
Performances at Major Opera Houses
Jon Vickers first sang at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany in 1958. He played Siegmund in Die Walküre. He also sang Parsifal there in 1964. His first role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York was Canio in Pagliacci in 1960. He performed at the Met for 27 years. He sang in 280 performances and played 17 different roles.
Some of his other important roles at the Met included:
- Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen
- Erik in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer
- Herman in Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades
- Samson in both Handel's and Saint-Saëns' operas
- The main character in Verdi's Otello
- Don Alvaro in Verdi's La forza del destino
- Laca in Janáček's Jenůfa
He gave his last performance at the Met in 1987. Vickers also sang at La Scala in Milan, Italy. He performed in other major opera houses too, like those in Chicago, San Francisco, Vienna, and at the Salzburg Festival. He officially retired from singing in 1988.
Notable Recordings
Vickers made many recordings throughout his career. Some of his most famous recordings include:
- Tristan und Isolde in 1972 with conductor Herbert von Karajan. Karajan considered Vickers one of his favorite singers.
- Les Troyens in 1969 with Sir Colin Davis.
- A recording of Handel's Messiah in 1959 with Sir Thomas Beecham.
He also recorded Verdi's Otello twice. Once in 1960 and again in 1973. Vickers worked for a long time with American pianist Richard Woitach.
Jon Vickers' Personal Life
Jon Vickers was born into a musical family. His father, William, was a teacher and school principal. His mother was Myrle Mossop. As a young boy, Jon sang in his father's church. At first, he wanted to study medicine. He worked on a neighbor's farm, which helped him become strong and muscular. This build later became a recognizable part of his stage presence.
During a local play, the lead actress recorded his voice. She sent the recording to The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He auditioned there and was offered a scholarship to study opera.
In 1953, he married Henrietta (Hetti) Outerbridge. They had five children together. After Hetti passed away in 1991, he married Judith Stewart. Jon Vickers died on July 10, 2015, in Ontario, Canada. He passed away from Alzheimer's disease.
His Christian Faith
Jon Vickers was a very committed Christian. He often spoke openly about his faith. Because of this, one writer even called him "God's tenor."
Images for kids
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Jon Vickers
See also
In Spanish: Jon Vickers para niños
