Douglas Ahlstedt

Douglas Ahlstedt was born in Jamestown, New York, on March 16, 1945 to Carl and Pearl Ahlstedt. --> He attended and performed with the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey, in his youth. He sang in his first opera while still a child, portraying the role of Miles in the United States premiere of Britten's The Turn of the Screw with the New York College of Music in 1958. He earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1968, and then served in the Army in Okinawa for two years. == Career ==

Ahlstedt made his stage debut as Ramiro in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Western Opera Theater in San Francisco in 1971. That same year he made his debut at the Tanglewood Music Festival as the Boy in production of Brecht and Weill's The Yes Man, and was also heard at Tanglewood that year as Soldato pretoriano in Monteverdi's ''L'incoronazione di Poppea''. United States In 1973 Ahlstedt won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions which made him known. In 1973, Ahlstedt appeared on the TV game show To Tell the Truth (episode 1643). International career From 1975 until 1984, Ahlstedt was a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Germany, followed by the Vienna State Opera. From 1983, he appeared at the Met again, as Iopas in Les Troyens by Berlioz. He appeared in several more operas at the Met over the next five years, including as Count Almaviva, Fenton, Lindoro, and the title role in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande. After 191 performances at the Met, his final appearance there was on April 14, 1988, as Ferrando in Così fan tutte. Teaching From 1998, Ahlstedt was professor of voice at the Carnegie Mellon University; he retired in 2020. During his time there, he founded and directed the Steelers Opera Chorus, and he continued singing in concerts. == Personal life ==

Ahlstedt married Linda Foxx on February 1, 1969; they worked together for the Anglican Church of Okinawa as choir director and organist. They had three children. ==References==