Elvira, Pablo

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Elvira, Pablo

Elvira, Pablo, Puerto Rican baritone; b. Santurce, Sept. 24, 1937; d. Bozeman, Mont., Feb. 5, 2000. He studied voice at the Puerto Rico Cons., becoming a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions in 1966. He taught at the Ind. Univ. School of Music in Bloomington (1966–74), where he made his formal debut as Rigoletto (1968). On Feb. 23, 1974, he made his first appearance at the N.Y.C. Opera as Germont, where he sang regularly in subsequent seasons. His final appearance there was as Rigoletto in 1989. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Rigoletto on March 22, 1978. He sang Figaro at his last appearance there in 1990. In addition to his operatic engagements, he also sang frequently in concert. Among his finest roles were Don Carlo, Renato, Leoncavallo’s Tonio, and Puccini’s Lescaut.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire