Johan botha tenor biography of michael myers

Tannhäuser opens tonight!

One of the great tragedies of was losing tenor Johan Botha in the midst of his vocal prime. At just 51 years of age, he still had, at the very least, a few solid years of singing to impart on us. Those who heard Botha will rarely forget his beautiful tenor, a delicate instrument by nature capable of ripping through any orchestra with a strength and force, but without ever losing its essential beauty.

On this day, August 19, which would have been his 52 nd birthday, we will look back at the roles that made him so great.

Tonight's free Nightly Met Opera Stream: Tenor Johan Botha stars as the title hero of Wagner's Tannhäuser.

While he was mainly known for his Wagner interpretations, there is no doubt that the tenor also made successful forays into the Verdi canon, none more successful than his interpretation of the moor. He sang the opera for the last time in Salzburg in March Few dominated the role of Siegmund the way Botha did, the tenor managing to give the famed Wagnerian hero a truly lyrical edge that few others have ever managed.

He sang it a few times throughout his career, his final appearance in the role coming in at the Metropolitan Opera. Few artists can claim to conquer the difficult Strauss role, but Botha put together a number of performances throughout in Munich and London. During his time at Fordham, he studied abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. Stories you may also like….