Jörn, Karl

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Jörn, Karl

Jörn, Karl, Latvian tenor of German descent; b. Riga, Jan. 5, 1873; d. Denver, Dec. 19, 1947. He studied with Schütte-Harmsen, Jacobs, and Ress in Berlin. He made his operatic debut as Lyonel in Martha in Freiburg im Breisgau (1896), then sang in Zürich (1898–99) and Hamburg (1899–1902). He was a member of Berlin’s Royal Opera (1902–08). On Jan. 22, 1909, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Walther von Stolzing, remaining on its roster until 1914. After further appearances in Berlin (1914), he returned to the U.S. He toured with Gadski’s German opera company (1929–31) and then taught voice in N.Y. and later in Denver, where he settled. He was best known for his Wagnerian roles.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire