Grammy Award-Winning Opera Singer. A dramatic tenor, he is remembered as one of the premier Wagnerians of his generation and as one of the few men ever to assume all of the tenor roles in Wagner's "Ring Cycle". Raised in Essen, he graduated in electrical engineering, though he pursued vocal training simultaneously and in the early 1960s gradually built his career. First heard at Bayreuth in 1963, albeit in a cameo, he sang for a number of years in Cologne and Dortmund, refining his Wagner skills while also earning praise as Tamino from Mozart's "The Magic Flute", Ernesto in Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", and Don Jose of Bizet's "Carmen". Jung finally became a major star with his 1975 appearances at the Salzburg Easter Festival, then in 1976 joined the company at Bayreuth. He achieved renown at La Scala Milano as well as with the Vienna State Opera, made his American debut in a 1980 Carnegie Hall concert, and on September 24, 1981 bowed at the Metropolitan Opera as the title lead of "Siegfried", with New York audiences later hearing him as the same character in "Die Walkure" as well as the title leads of Wagner's "Parsifal" and "Tristan und Isolde". Jung earned a 1982 Grammy Award for his performances as Siegfried of both "Siegfried" and "Gotterdammerung" in Pierre Boulez' preservation of "The Ring Cycle". He left The Met in 1985 and during the 1990s gradually took-on smaller roles. Designated Kammersanger (KS), in later years he was a respected Master Class presenter and competition judge. At his death following a protracted illness he left a quite significant recorded legacy.
Grammy Award-Winning Opera Singer. A dramatic tenor, he is remembered as one of the premier Wagnerians of his generation and as one of the few men ever to assume all of the tenor roles in Wagner's "Ring Cycle". Raised in Essen, he graduated in electrical engineering, though he pursued vocal training simultaneously and in the early 1960s gradually built his career. First heard at Bayreuth in 1963, albeit in a cameo, he sang for a number of years in Cologne and Dortmund, refining his Wagner skills while also earning praise as Tamino from Mozart's "The Magic Flute", Ernesto in Donizetti's "Don Pasquale", and Don Jose of Bizet's "Carmen". Jung finally became a major star with his 1975 appearances at the Salzburg Easter Festival, then in 1976 joined the company at Bayreuth. He achieved renown at La Scala Milano as well as with the Vienna State Opera, made his American debut in a 1980 Carnegie Hall concert, and on September 24, 1981 bowed at the Metropolitan Opera as the title lead of "Siegfried", with New York audiences later hearing him as the same character in "Die Walkure" as well as the title leads of Wagner's "Parsifal" and "Tristan und Isolde". Jung earned a 1982 Grammy Award for his performances as Siegfried of both "Siegfried" and "Gotterdammerung" in Pierre Boulez' preservation of "The Ring Cycle". He left The Met in 1985 and during the 1990s gradually took-on smaller roles. Designated Kammersanger (KS), in later years he was a respected Master Class presenter and competition judge. At his death following a protracted illness he left a quite significant recorded legacy.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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