Oskar Czerwenka (5 July 1924 – 1 June 2000) was an Austrian operatic bass and academic teacher. He was a member of the Vienna State Opera from 1951 to 1986, performing 75 roles, including his signature role Ochs auf Lerchenau and premieres of new operas. He was also an author, visual artist and illustrator, and performed in concert. He received several awards, and the state music school in his home town was named after him.
Career
Born in Vöcklabruck, Czerwenka grew up there. He studied international commerce and then began private opera studies in Vienna with Otto Iro. He made his debut on stage at the Graz Opera in 1947. He became a member of the Vienna State Opera in 1951, where he stayed to 1986, appearing in 1084 performances at the house.[1] He also appeared at the Volksoper Wien and at major opera houses worldwide. He performed at the Salzburg Festival from 1953 and made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1959.[2]
Czerwenka sang Lieder and oratorio in concert and for recordings.[1][4] He died in his hometown.[1]
Artist, illustrator, writer
As a visual artist, Czerwenka had exhibitions in Graz, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna. In 1963, he illustrated the book Kon-Figurationen with texts by Ernst Pichler. He published several books that he authored, including his autobiography Jenseits vom Prater in 1998:
Wo's mir schmeckt. Eine kulinarische Reise durch Oberösterreich und Salzburg. Stieglitz, Mühlacker 1982.
Lebenszeiten. Ungebetene Briefe. Neff, Wien 1988, ISBN3-7014-0260-4.
In 2008, the Landesmusikschule Vöcklabruck (state music school) of Upper Austria moved to the former residence of the singer and an additional new building, and was named after him: Oskar Czerwenka Landesmusikschule.[8]
Peter Dusek, Volkmar Parschalk: Nicht nur Tenöre. Das Beste aus der Opernwerkstatt. Herausgegeben von den Freunden der Wiener Staatsoper. Jugend und Volk, Wien 1988, ISBN3-224-16912-5 (Vol. 3).
