Ragnar Ulfung

Ragnar Sigurd Ulfung is a Norwegian operatic tenor. Described in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians as "a brilliant actor with an incisive voice", he was particularly known for his portrayals of Herod and Mime. He is also an opera director. Amongst the productions he has directed was a complete Ring cycle for the Seattle Opera. Ulfung was born in Oslo and sang as an alto in a Norwegian boys' choir, and received his early training in singing and acting at the Oslo Conservatory. During his early 20s he continued vocal training for four years in Italy, studying in Milan before making his debut in Let's Make an Opera. He worked for four months in 1952 with an illusionist in order to perform the role of the magician in Menotti's The Consul, in Oslo. He made some early stage appearances in Oslo and Bergen, but his career proper began in 1955 at Goteborg's Stora Teater where he remained for three years, singing roles from the Italian and French repertory, along with operetta. He made a successful debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1958 as Canio in Pagliacci, joined the company that autumn, and remained a member of it until 1984. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)