William Cochran (tenor)
Encyclopedia
William Cochran was born on June 23, 1943, in Columbus, Ohio
, and is an internationally-noted Heldentenor. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music
with Martial Singher
. A winner of the Lauritz Melchior
Heldentenor Foundation Award, he debuted with the Metropolitan Opera
, as Vogelgesang in Die Meistersinger, in 1968. The next year, he sang Froh, in Das Rheingold, with the San Francisco Opera
.
In 1974, Cochran debuted at Covent Garden
, as Laca in Jenůfa, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
. In 1975, he sang the name part of Lohengrin at the New Orleans Opera
, and, in 1977, sang in Katya Kabanova at San Francisco, with Elisabeth Söderström
and Chester Ludgin
. He returned to that company in 1997, for Herod in Salome. For the Opera Company of Boston
, the tenor was seen in Die Soldaten (1982) and The Makropoulos Case (1986), both conducted and directed by Sarah Caldwell
.
Cochran returned to the Met as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos, opposite Jessye Norman
, in 1984-85. The singing-actor has also appeared with companies in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Vienna. He has undertaken roles in Idomeneo, Médée (opposite Anja Silja
), Les Troyens, La juive, Otello, Pagliacci, Boris Godunov (as Grigori), The Makropulos Case, Doktor Faust, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, The Rake's Progress, Siegfried, and so forth.
His discography includes Act I of Die Walküre (with Helga Dernesch
, conducted by Otto Klemperer
), Mathis der Maler (as Schwalb, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
and James King
, conducted by Rafael Kubelík
, 1979), and, perhaps most importantly, Die Soldaten (opposite Nancy Shade
, 1988-89).
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and is an internationally-noted Heldentenor. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
with Martial Singher
Martial Singher
Martial Singher was a French baritone opera singer born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques.Initially singing only as a hobby, he was encouraged by then French education minister Édouard Herriot to pursue singing professionally...
. A winner of the Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior
Lauritz Melchior was a Danish and later American opera singer. He was the pre-eminent Wagnerian tenor of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and has since come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type.-Biography:...
Heldentenor Foundation Award, he debuted with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, as Vogelgesang in Die Meistersinger, in 1968. The next year, he sang Froh, in Das Rheingold, with the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
.
In 1974, Cochran debuted at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, as Laca in Jenůfa, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
Charles Mackerras
Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan...
. In 1975, he sang the name part of Lohengrin at the New Orleans Opera
New Orleans Opera
Opera has long been part of the musical culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. Operas have regularly been performed in the city since the 1790s, and for the majority of the city's history since the early 19th century, New Orleans has had a resident company regularly performing opera in addition to...
, and, in 1977, sang in Katya Kabanova at San Francisco, with Elisabeth Söderström
Elisabeth Söderström
Elisabeth Anna Söderström CBE was a Swedish soprano, who performed both opera and song. She was particularly well known for her recordings of the lead soprano roles in the three Janáček operas Jenůfa, Káťa Kabanová, and The Makropoulos Affair, all of which received Gramophone Awards...
and Chester Ludgin
Chester Ludgin
-Biography:Chester Ludgin was a native of Brooklyn, New York. He made his professional debut in 1956 with The Experimental Opera Theatre of America , as Baron Scarpia in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, conducted by Renato Cellini and directed by Armando Agnini...
. He returned to that company in 1997, for Herod in Salome. For the Opera Company of Boston
Opera Company of Boston
The Opera Company of Boston was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active during the late 1950s through the early 1990s. The company was founded by American conductor Sarah Caldwell in 1958 under the name Boston Opera Group. At one time, the touring arm of the...
, the tenor was seen in Die Soldaten (1982) and The Makropoulos Case (1986), both conducted and directed by Sarah Caldwell
Sarah Caldwell
Sarah Caldwell was a notable American opera conductor, impresario, and stage director of opera.- Life :Caldwell was born in Maryville, Missouri, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She was a child prodigy and gave public performances on the violin by the time she was ten years old...
.
Cochran returned to the Met as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos, opposite Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music...
, in 1984-85. The singing-actor has also appeared with companies in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, and Vienna. He has undertaken roles in Idomeneo, Médée (opposite Anja Silja
Anja Silja
Anja Silja Regina Langwagen, , born April 17, 1940, in Berlin, is a German soprano who is known for her great abilities as a singing-actress and for the vastness of her repertoire....
), Les Troyens, La juive, Otello, Pagliacci, Boris Godunov (as Grigori), The Makropulos Case, Doktor Faust, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, The Rake's Progress, Siegfried, and so forth.
His discography includes Act I of Die Walküre (with Helga Dernesch
Helga Dernesch
Helga Dernesch is an Austrian soprano and mezzo soprano. Her career has taken her through four successive phases: from mezzo-soprano to lyric soprano to dramatic soprano and after about 1980 back to mezzo again...
, conducted by Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
), Mathis der Maler (as Schwalb, with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is a retired German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous lieder performers of the post-war period and "one of the supreme vocal artists of the 20th century"...
and James King
James King
- Politics :*James G. King , American businessman and United States Representative from New Jersey*James King King , British MP for Herefordshire*James A...
, conducted by Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Jeroným Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer.-Early life:Kubelík was born in Býchory, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, today's Czech Republic. He was the sixth child of the Bohemian violinist Jan Kubelík, whom the younger Kubelík described as "a kind of god to me." His mother was a Hungarian...
, 1979), and, perhaps most importantly, Die Soldaten (opposite Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade is a celebrated spinto soprano, best known as a singing-actress. She made her formal debut as Leonora in Il trovatore, in Louisville, in 1967. In 1971, she made her first of many appearances at the New York City Opera, as Musetta in La bohème...
, 1988-89).