Tenor Graham Clark has Died, Aged 81

Clark was closely associated with the operas of Wagner and Janáček and performed acclaimed interpretations of their opera characters

Born in Littleborough in Lancashire, England, Graham Clark studied with Bruce Boyce and began his operatic career with the Scottish Opera in 1975. He also sang with Opera North and the Welsh National Opera, and from 1978-1985, served as company principal with the English National Opera.

Making his U.S. debut in 1985 as Steva in Janáček’s opera Jenůfa at The Metropolitan Opera, Clark was also a noted interpreter of Wagner’s works — he performed the characters Loge and Mime of The Ring Cycle over 275 times. 

Clark later sang at the Lucerne, Edinburgh, Brussels, and London Proms festivals, and from 1981 to 1992, he appeared annually at the Bayreuth Festival, where he sang in over 120 performances. He performed at the Met 82 times and taught at its Lindemann Young Artists Program.

He performed with all of the leading UK opera houses and those around the world, including Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bamberg, Berlin, Brussels, Canaries, Chicago, Cologne, Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, and Washington.

Additionally, he featured in numerous DVDs of his operatic and acting performances, and recorded extensively with the labels BBC, BMG, Challenge Classics, Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Erato, Etcetera, EuroArts, Oehms Classics, Opera Rara, Opus Arte, Philips, Profil, Sony, Teldec, The Met New York, United Artists, Warner Classics, and WizArt.  

His accolades included three EMMY nominations for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Opera,” the 1986 Sir Laurence Olivier Award, the 2001 Sir Reginald Goodall Memorial Award by the Wagner Society, and the 2009 Sherwin Award by The Wagner Society of Southern California.

“We are deeply saddened by the news of Graham Clark’s passing,” wrote Colbert Artists Management. “It was [our] great honor and pleasure to work with him since 1978, supporting his career as a brilliant tenor, a charismatic and mesmerizing figure onstage, and an unfailingly kind and collaborative human offstage. His art-making was singular, and he will be remembered with fondness and affection forever.”

Our condolences to Mr. Clark’s family, friends, students, and colleagues.