Gösta Winbergh

Gösta Winbergh had homes in Stockholm and in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was a guest performer since 1981. He performed in opera houses in London, Paris, Milan, Hamburg and in the United States. Born in the Swedish capital of Stockholm in 1943, Gösta Winbergh studied at the Royal Opera Conservatory. He made his stage debut in 1973 at the Stora Teatern in Göteborg in southwestern Sweden as Rodolfo in Puccini's 'La Boheme'. Gösta Winbergh was a member of the Kungl. Teatern (Royal Opera) in Stockholm 1973-81, singing mostly lyrical roles like Tamino in Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' and Nemorino in Donizetti's 'The Elixir of Love'. His American debut was in 1974 at the San Francisco Opera as Don Ottavio in Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', a role he sang again in 1983 at New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he later became a regular performer. One of Sweden's greatest tenors, next to Jussi Björling and Nicolai Gedda, Gösta Winbergh gradually extended his repertoire to include more dramatic roles like Don Jose in Bizet's 'Carmen' and Tristan in Wagner's 'Tristan and Isolde'. Winbergh's last role was that of Florestan in Beethoven's 'Fidelio' on Sunday March 17, 2002, at the Wiener Staatsopera (Vienna State Opera). He was found dead in his apartment the following day.