American tenor, in Winter Park, Florida, on November 5 2017, aged 96. Born in Atlanta on 26 January 1921, Louis Roney studied at Harvard and, aged 27, sang Cavaradossi with the New York Philharmonic under Mitropoulos, launching a career that combined opera and concert work. He sang a number of leading dramatic roles, including Rodolfo, Don José, Radames, Otello and Herod, in Hartford, Houston, New Orleans, San Diego and Seattle.

At the 1956 Maggio Musicale in Florence he sang Almanzor in Cherubini’s Gli Abeceragi opposite Anita Cerquetti (this and his Jésus opposite Régine Crespin in the 1976 first American performance of Massenet’s Marie-Magdeleine remain available on live recordings). His European career took him to Brussels (Hoffmann), Mannheim (Admète, Erik, Gustavo), Lyon (Florestan), Monte-Carlo (Faust), Strasbourg (Énée with Rita Gorr and Števa in the 1962 first French performance of Jenůfa) and Paris (Aegisth). Roney continued to perform in concert and taught for a quarter of a century at the University of Central Florida.   David Shengold

Mit sehr freundlicher Genehmigung des Autors und John Allisons, Chefredakteur des britischen Opernmagazins Opera (The world´s leadings Opera magazine), wo dieser Artikel in der Januarausgabe 2018 erschien und uns überlassen wurde. Danke an beide/ Foto oben: Louis Roney als Almansor in Cherubinis „Abenceragi“ beim Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 1956/ Cetra. G. H.