Robert Dure was born in Baltimore, Maryland and received degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the University of Maryland.
After making his operatic debut with the Baltimore Opera Company (1957), with Rosa Ponselle, Artistic Director, he performed with companies
throughout the East and Midwest and has appeared on the NBC TV network.
Dure has sung over fifty operatic roles and has appeared with Plácido Domingo, Beverly Sills, Anna Moffo, and Samuel Ramey; and has
sung under conductors George Szell, Max Rudolf, Alfred Wallenstein, and Leonard Bernstein.
He has toured the United States as King Kaspar in "Amahl and the night visitors" with the original Mother and Melchior, under Gian-Carlo
Menotti, numbering around 600 performances.
His major roles include: Dmitri in "Boris Godunov"; Cavaradossi in "Tosca"; Canio in "Pagliacci"; Eisenstein in "Die Fledermaus";
and titles roles in "Lohengrin" and in later years, "Rigoletto".
He received a Ford Foundation Grant as a soloist for the American Young Conductors Project.
Dure also sang in the world premiere of "The hard years" by Jonathan Schwabe; "A dream of kings" by Daniel Schaaf.
He also performed the role of Horace in the American premiere of Rolf Liebermann's opera "A school for wives" (full two act version).
The Broadway show repertoire was also represented by singing Mr. Snow in "Carousel"; Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof"; and Mr. Bumble in
"Oliver".
The tenor also worked as a stage director for Michiana Opera Guild and Indiana Opera North, as well as the Opera Factory – all in
the Chicago area. Earlier he was Assistant Stage Director to Herbert Graf for a performance of "Tristan und Isolde" starring Birgit
Nilsson, Paul Schöffler, Blanche Thebom and Sebastian Feiersinger.
In later years, he was active as a voice teacher, and a concert soloist, touring with a trio of tenors. He resided in LaPorte, Indiana
with his wife, Rose Marie.
I would like to thank Robert Dure for the biographical notes and picture.
