John Modinos (May 26, 1927 – January 11, 2011) was a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

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 ...

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

Life and career

In 1927, John Modinos was born in

Omodos Omodos ( gr, 'Ομοδος) is a village in the Troödos Mountains of Cyprus. It is also located in the Limassol District Limassol District () or Lemesos ( el, Λεμεσός) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. , it had a population of 239, ...

, a small village in the

Troodos Mountains Troodos (sometimes spelled Troödos; el, Τρόοδος ; tr, Trodos Dağları) is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympus ( el, Όλυμπος), also known as Chion ...

. He had a career that spanned over four decades. His illustrious career in music started in New York after winning "The American Theater Wing Concert Award" with which he made his Recital debut in New York' s Town Hall that had tremendous reviews. His operatic debut was also in New York in Traviata with Beverly Sills. Another singing Award "The

American Opera Auditions The American Opera Auditions was a non-profit organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio that organized an annual singing contest in both the United States and Italy from 1956-1990. The organization was founded by Cincinnati businessman and philanthro ...

" brought him to Europe, performing Figaro in Barber of Seville in Milano with sensational notices and Scarpia in Tosca in Florence, Italy with James King as Cavaradosi. The same summer, he performed at the Athens Festival with Teresa Stratas, the world Premiere of the Opera "Nausicaa". Both these events opened the way for world acclamation. With Luciano Pavarotti he had sung many times "Rigoletto" a role that secured for Modenos worldwide fame for his interpretation and above all his brilliant singing. Accordingly, he has performed the role 223 times all over the world. * with Plácido Domingo Traviata, Andrea Chenier etc. * with Montserrat Caballe Un ballo in maschera, Der Rosenkavalier * with Magda Olivero Adriana Lecouvreur * with Cesare Siepi Faust, Don Carlos etc. * with James Mc Cracken Aida, Trovatore, Otello. * with Vladimir Atlantov Pagliacci * with Martina Arroyo Aida, Trovatore * with Ghena Dimitrova Nabucco and of course with numerous other top singers and conductors, Aragal, Jess Thomas, Schwarzkopf, Seefeld, Troyanos, Moscona, Talvera, Gremdl, Edelman, Nikolaidi, Della Casa, Hilde Gueden, Zylis - Gara, Regine Crespin,

Jenny Drivala Jenny Drivala ( el, Τζένη Δριβάλα; Kalamata, Greece 1957) is a Greek soprano singer. History Drivala studied Byzantine literature at the University of Athens, classical ballet ( Morianova School), acting at the National Theatre Schoo ...

etc. Modinos died on January 11, 2011 in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. The cause of death was heart failure.

References

1927 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Cypriot male singers Operatic baritones {{opera-singer-stub