Lise Davidsen leads singer tributes to the late Stephen Gould

The great Heldentenor had been given ten months to live… and was gone in two weeks.

Lise Davidsen: It breaks my heart to hear that the wonderful Stephen Gould has passed away.
What a kind and thoughtful colleague and what an honest, powerful and amazing singer. As my first Tannhäuser I learned so much from him.
Sending lots of love and thoughts to his family in these hard times.

Ekaterina Gubanova: Dearest Stephen is no more… He is leaving a huge void in our hearts and in the entire musical world. THE VOICE. An absolute pinnacle of professionalism, a great man, a fantastic colleague and sometimes unexpectedly and outrageously funny guy. Every time we worked together I learned from him as much as I could… even picked up one of his warm-ups… We knew the bad news.. but so soon… Rest in peace dear Stephen. You live in our hearts.

Catherine Foster: Words fail me, you left us too soon, you gave us so much, you’ve been there from the beginning, such devotion to your art, voice and music …..Your beautiful stunning voice that I had the honor of being able to sing with so many times from Kaiserin to Elektra and Brunnhilde to Isolde…. Thank you.

Andreas Schager: In memory of my dear colleague Stephen Gould, who left us this afternoon, I would like to dedicate this performance of Tristan today at the Staatsoper Vienna to him.
Dear Stephen, you have now gone to that other country that you sang as much as Tristan. The imprints you left here as a singer and human being are deep and lasting. The beauty of your voice always reflected in the beauty of your being.
Rest in peace.

Stuart Skelton: Stephen’s passing is a tragedy. He was a giant amongst us, physically, vocally and as a gentleman. Leb’ wohl du kühnes, herrliches Kind. Du meines Herzens heiligster Stolz.

Clay Hilley: Stephen Gould’s monumental career is an inspiration to anyone pursuing opera, but to tenors specifically. Prior to each of my Bayreuth appearances, I was fortunate to be able to study the distinct artistry and expert pacing that earned him the moniker “Bayreuths Marathon-Mann.” We are all blessed to have his voice and character portrayals on video and audio still. May perpetual light shine on him; may his memory and contributions to the opera world be a continual blessing.