Jon Vickers

Jon Vickers (born October 29, 1926) is a Canadian tenor.

Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, he was the sixth in a family of eight children. In 1950, he was awarded a scholarship to study opera at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. In 1957 Vickers joined London’s Covent Garden Opera. In 1960 he joined the Metropolitan Opera. He became world famous for singing a variety of roles, including both German and Italian. He was a wonderful "heldentenor" with a voice that matched the demands of the Wagnerian operas, although his personal philosophy gave him reservations about Richard Wagner's characters at times. Another of his famous roles, in Verdi's "Aida," paired him with the famous American soprano, Leontyne Price.

In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

In 1953 he married Henrietta Outerbridge. They had five children.

Reference

• Jon Vickers: A Hero’s Life by Jeannie Williams