Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo

Kraus Trujillo, Alfredo,

1927–99, Spanish lyric tenor, b. Canary Islands. Widely considered the finest light tenor of his time, he was admired for his bright timbre, fine phrasing, and acting skill. Specializing in the bel canto repertoire, he sang professionally into his 70s. Kraus began singing zarzuela in Spain in the 1950s and made his operatic debut (1956) in Cairo, as the Duke in Rigoletto, which became a signature role. He first sang at Covent Garden in 1959, as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and at La Scala in 1960, as Elvino in La Sonnambula. He debuted in 1962 in the United States at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and in 1966 at the Metropolitan Opera, where he sang regularly until 1994. Kraus also was a noted singing teacher.