Vinson Cole facts for kids
Vinson Cole, born on November 21, 1950, is a famous American opera singer. He is known as a tenor, which means he sings with a high male voice. Vinson Cole has performed in many of the world's biggest opera houses and worked with top conductors.
Early Life and Musical Start
Vinson Cole grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He loved music from a young age. He studied music at several important schools. These included the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also attended the Philadelphia Musical Academy. Later, he studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with a teacher named Margaret Harshaw.
A Career in Opera
Vinson Cole's singing career began in Europe. His first performance there was in Angers, France. He sang in a show called Acis and Galatea by Handel. After that, he sang the role of Belmonte in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio with the Welsh National Opera.
In 1977, Vinson Cole won several important awards. He won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. He also won the WGN Competition. These wins showed that he was a very promising young singer. He also received special money grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Opera Institute. These grants helped him continue his musical training.
As his career grew, Vinson Cole sang leading roles in many famous opera houses. He performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He also sang at the San Francisco Opera. In Paris, France, he performed at the Opéra National de Paris and the Paris Opera-Bastille. He even sang at the famous Teatro alla Scala in Italy. He also performed in major cities like Berlin, Vienna, and Hamburg. For nine years, he was a regular singer at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. In the United States, he sang with opera companies in New York City, Seattle, Houston, Santa Fe, and St. Louis.
In 1997, Vinson Cole returned to La Scala in Italy to open their new season. He sang the role of Renaud in Gluck's Armide. A famous conductor named Riccardo Muti led the orchestra. In 1998, he made his first appearance at the Chicago Lyric Opera. He sang the main role in Mozart's Idomeneo. In 1999, he performed at the Royal Opera at Covent Garden in London. There, he sang another main role in a Mozart opera, La Clemenza di Tito. In 2001, he went back to the Met. He sang the role of Alfredo in La traviata with singer June Anderson.
Vinson Cole is especially known for singing French operas. He started focusing on French music in 1984. This was after he sang in the 100th anniversary performances of Manon at Paris's Opéra Comique. Soon after, he sang in Gluck's Orphée in Seattle. After that, many other French operas came his way. He sang in famous French works like Lakmé, Werther, Carmen, Don Carlos, Faust, and La damnation de Faust.
Vinson Cole has also sung with many orchestras throughout his career. He has worked with some of the world's most famous conductors. These include Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Simon Rattle. He even recorded Mozart's Requiem with Sir Georg Solti. This was done on the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death. He also worked with James Levine, Riccardo Muti, and Claudio Abbado, among many others.
Sharing His Knowledge
Vinson Cole has also taught music to new generations of singers. He has been a teacher at the University of Washington School of Music. He also taught at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Aspen Music Festival and School. He has led special classes called "masterclasses" for young singers. These were for programs like the San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and the Canadian Opera Company.
Today, Vinson Cole is a teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music. He also teaches at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC. He is also a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mr. Cole lives in Mission, Kansas, which is a town near Kansas City.
