Jussi Bjorling

Jussi, a.k.a. Johann Jonatan Björling, was born on February 5th 1911. He was one of many talented brothers, together with whom he formed the Björling Male Quartet, led by his father. As a child Jussi toured with Quartet in the years of 1916-26 throughout Sweden and the U.S. He began studying at the Stockholm Royal Academy of Music after his father's death in 1926.In June of 1930, Jussi made his operatic debut in a small role at the Royal Opera of Stockholm as the Lamplighter in Manon Lescaut, which led to major roles such as Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Arnoldo in Rossini's William Tell. He made his American concert debut in Carnegie Hall in 1937 and the following year, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Rodolfo in La bohème. Jussi went on to become one of the principal singers at the Met during the 1940s and 1950s (with an interruption during World War II).On March 15, 1960, Björling suffered a heart attack before a performance at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, but still performed. He died of heart-related causes six months later in Sweden at the age of forty-nine.His widow, Anna-Lisa Björling, published a biography with the cooperation of Andrew Farkas that described Björling as a loving family man and generous colleague. However, Anna-Lisa also acknowledged the destructive influence of Björling's alcoholism.His name is now used with the prestigious Jussi Björling Music Scholarship at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.