Stephen Gould (tenor) Obituary
Stephen Gould, an American heldentenor, has passed away at the age of 61 in Chesapeake, Virginia, on September 19, 2023.
On September 5, 2023, he personally revealed the diagnosis of terminal bile duct carcinoma through his own website.
Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Stephen Gould initially received training as a baritone at Olivet Nazarene University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984.
He later pursued further studies under John Moriarty at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston before becoming associated with the Lyric Opera of Chicago Centre for American Art.
CREDIT: MARTIN SCHALK/GETTY
Stephen Gould graced the world’s most prestigious opera venues with his performances. In his repertoire, alongside various Wagner roles, he portrayed Paul in Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt,” enchanting audiences at the Vienna State Opera in 2004 and later at the Royal Opera House in 2009.
He also assumed the roles of Bacchus in Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos,” the protagonist in Britten’s “Peter Grimes,” the Emperor in Strauss’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten,” Verdi’s “Otello,” Aeneas in Berlioz’s “Les Troyens,” and McTeague in William Bolkom’s “McTeague.”
The Associated Press hailed him as “a naturally engaging performer, unusually athletic and youthful, perfectly embodying the teenage hero” during his rendition of the third “Ring” opera, “Siegfried.”
