Jaakko Ryhänen
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Jaakko Ryhänen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 December 1946 Tampere, Finland |
| Alma mater | Sibelius Academy |
Jaakko Ryhänen (born 2 December 1946) is a Finnish opera singer (bass) and voice pedagog.[1][2]
Ryhänen initially trained as a primary school teacher.[1][3] He later studied singing at the Sibelius Academy under Matti Lehtinen and Jolanda di Maria Petris.[1]
His professional debut came at the Finnish National Opera in January 1973, as Fafner in Das Rheingold.[4] In total, Ryhänen performed nearly 600 times at the National Opera in a career lasting almost four decades, from 1973 to 2011.[4]
Ryhänen toured extensively as a soloist, and made guest appearances at numerous international opera houses, including Vienna, Berlin, London, Paris, Milan, Moscow and New York.[1] In 2003, he signed a five-year-contract with the Bayreuth Festival.[1]
His key roles have included Paavo Ruotsalainen in The Last Temptations, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, and Hunding in Die Walküre.[1]
Ryhänen has defined his own voice as basso cantante, or lyric high-bass.[5]
From 1994 to 1996, he held the professorship of voice at the Sibelius Academy, and in 2003 at the Estonian Academy of Music.[1]
Ryhänen officially retired at the conclusion of the 2012 Savonlinna Opera Festival, although he has continued performing occasionally since.[6] His biography Minun matkani (lit. 'My journey') was published in March 2022.[5]
