Rehfuss, Heinz (Julius)
Rehfuss, Heinz (Julius)
Rehfuss, Heinz (Julius) , German-born Swiss, later American, bass-baritone; b. Frankfurt am Main, May 25, 1917; d. Buffalo, June 27, 1988. He studied with his father, Carl Rehfuss (1885–1946), a singer and teacher, and with his mother, Florentine Rehfuss-Peichert, a contralto. The family moved to Neuchâtel, and Rehfuss became a naturalized Swiss citizen. He made his professional debut in opera at Biel-Solothurn in 1938; then sang with the Lucerne Stadttheater (1938–39) and at the Zürich Opera (1940–52). He subsequently was active mainly in Europe and in America; became a naturalized American citizen; taught voice at the Montreal Cons. in 1961; in 1965 was on the faculty of the State Univ. of N.Y. at Buffalo; in 1970 was a visiting prof. at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. He also toured in Asia, giving vocal recitals in India and Indonesia. He was successful mainly in dramatic roles, such as Don Giovanni and Boris Godunov.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire