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Born: May 25, 1917 - Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Died: June 27, 1988 - Buffalo, New York, USA |
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The German born, Swiss, and later American bass-baritone, Heinz (Julius) Rehfuss, studied with his father, Carl Rehfuss (1885-1946), a singer and a teacher, and with his mother, Florentine Rehfuss-Peichert, contralto. The family moved to Neuchâtel, and Rehfuss became a naturalized Swiss citizen.
Heinz Rehfuss made his professional debut in opera at Biel-Solothurn in 1938. The he sang with the Lucerne Stadttheater (1938-1939) and the Zürich Opera (1940-1952). He subsequently was active mainly in Europe and in America. He became a naturalized American citizen.
Heinz Rehfuss taught voice at the Montreal Conservatory in 1961 and in 1965 was on the Faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1970 he was a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He also toured Asia, giving vocal recitals in India and Indonesia. Heinz Rehfuss was successful mainly in dramatic roles, such as Don Giovanni and Boris Godunov, but he was also a gifted J.S. Bach singer. |
