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Swiss tenor Éric Tappy was born in Lausanne on 19 May 1931 and was taught violin and choral singing by his cousin. Later he studied voice with tenor Fernando Carpi at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, then with Ernst Reichert at the Salzburg Mozarteum, with Eva Liebenberg at the Conservatorium van Hilversum and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.
He began to sing professionally in the late 1950s, and his international career continued until his retirement in 1981. He also appeared on a series of recordings. He was best known for his Mozart roles and for singing the Evangelist in J S Bach's Passions.
After retiring, he concentrated on stage direction and teaching, setting up and directing his own opera studio at the Opéra National de Lyon - the Atelier d'interprétation vocale et dramatique.
Éric Tappy died on 11 June 2024, aged ninety-three.