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George Rasely (October 27, 1890,
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
– 3 January 1965,
Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
) was an American
tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
who had an active career in
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
s, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century. He was also a frequent performer on American radio during the 1920s through the 1940s. He won the
National Music League The National Music League (NML) was an American arts organization based in New York City that was active during the 1920s through the 1960s. Founded as a non-profit institution in June 1925, the organization was dedicated to supporting and furtheri ...
singing competition in 1927 and the
Walter W. Naumburg Foundation The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Foundation and concerts It was founded in 1925 by Walt ...
vocal competition in 1928. Born in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, Rasely made his Broadway debut in 1917 as Nur-Al-Huda in
Frederic Norton George Frederic Norton (11 October 186915 December 1946) was a British composer, most associated with the record breaking ''Chu Chin Chow'', which opened in 1916. Biography Norton was born in Broughton, Salford, England. He studied with Sir P ...
's '' Chu Chin Chow''. He was a part of The Greenwich Village Follies between 1922 and 1924. He returned to Broadway again in 1939 to portray Mr. Scratch in ''
The Devil and Daniel Webster "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) is a short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-c ...
''. His other Broadway credits include '' La Vie parisienne'' (1941), '' Helen Goes to Troy'' (1944), and ''
Hollywood Pinafore ''Hollywood Pinafore, or The Lad Who Loved a Salary'' is a musical comedy in two acts by George S. Kaufman, with music by Arthur Sullivan, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. The work premiered on May 8, 1945, at Ford's Grand Opera ...
'' (1945). In 1928, he was committed to the
Philadelphia Civic Opera Company The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company (PCOC) was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established p ...
where he notably portrayed the role of Schweiker von Gundelfingen in the United States premiere of
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
's '' Feuersnot'' on 2 December 1927 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House under the baton of
Alexander Smallens Alexander Smallens (January 1, 1889 – November 24, 1972) was a Russian Empire-born American conductor and music director. Biography Smallens was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and emigrated to the United States as a child, becoming an ...
. In 1936, Rasely joined the roster of the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
in New York City, making his debut with the company as Vasek in Bedřich Smetana's '' The Bartered Bride'' on May 15, 1936 with Muriel Dickson as Marenka, Mario Chamlee as Jeník, and Wilfred Pelletier conducting. He remained at the Met for the next eight years, notably creating the role of
Harman Blennerhassett Harman Blennerhassett (8 October 1765 – 2 February 1831) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, a member of the Society of United Irishmen who emigrated in advance of their rebellion in 1798 to become a socially and politically distinguished plantation ...
in the world premiere of
Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Ge ...
's '' The Man Without a Country'' on May 12, 1937 and portraying Gherardi in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman's '' Caponsacchi'' on February 4, 1937. His other roles at the Met included Don Curzio in ''
The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...
'', Fellah in '' Mârouf'', Gherardo in ''
Gianni Schicchi () is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...
'', Nathanael in '' The Tales of Hoffmann'', Paolino in '' Il matrimonio segreto'', and the Poet in ''
Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...
'' among others. His final performance at the Met was on March 22, 1944 as Bardolfo in ''
Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'' with Leonard Warren in the title role.Metropolitan Opera Archives
Accessed January 24, 2023.


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rasely, George 1890 births 1965 deaths American male musical theatre actors American operatic tenors Male actors from St. Louis Musicians from St. Louis Singers from Missouri 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male opera singers Classical musicians from Missouri