Karl, Tom

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Karl, Tom

Karl, Tom , Irish tenor; b. Dublin, Jan. 19, 1846; d. Rochester, N.Y., March 19, 1916. He studied in England with Henry Phillips, and in Italy with Sangiovanni. He sang in Italy for many years, then settled in N.Y. His remarkable success as Ralph in Pinafore (1879) encouraged him to pursue a career in light opera. With H. Barnabee and W. MacDonald, he formed the light opera company The Bostonians, which had a repertoire of about 150 operas and operettas. After his retirement in 1896, he taught voice in N.Y. and Rochester.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire