Deon van der Walt his debut as Almaviva in Rossini’s "The Barber of Seville". He was counted amongst the leading lyric tenors of his day and performed at all the world’s major opera houses, including He also performed at numerous international festivals, especially at the Salzburg Festival, where he sang Belmonte in Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" and Ferrando in "Così fan tutte" under Riccardo Muti. On video, he can be seen in Handel's "Semele" as Jupiter, singing a long, beautifully shaped "Where'er you walk"; in Donizetti's "Linda di Chamounix" with Edita Gruberová; and in "La belle Hélène". Deon van der Walt died at
Frank Porretta next fourteen years, performing such roles as Alfred in "Die Fledermaus", Alfredo in "La traviata", Apollo in "L'Orfeo", Belmonte in "The Abduction from the Seraglio", the Duke of Mantua in "Rigoletto", Edgar Linton in "Wuthering Heights", Frederic in "The Pirates of Penzance", Lucentio in Vittorio Giannini's "The Taming of the Shrew", Jolidon in "The Merry Widow", Luigi in "Il tabarro", Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado", Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly", Ralph Rackstraw in "H.M.S. Pinafore", Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi", Sam Kaplan in "Street Scene", the Sleepwalker in "Louise", Steve in "The Cradle Will Rock", and Vladimir in "Prince Igor" among others. He