Frederick Jagel
Quick Facts
Biography
Frederick Jagel (June 10, 1897, Brooklyn, New York – July 5, 1982, San Francisco, California) was an American tenor, primarily active at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1930s and 1940s.
Life and career
Frederick Jagel studied voice in New York City and Milan, and made his debut as Rodolfo in La bohème, in Livorno, in 1924. He sang throughout Italy under the name of Federico Jaghelli. After his return to America, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on November 8, 1927, as Radames in Aida. In 23 seasons with the Met, he sang 217 performances of 34 roles, primarily in the Italian and French repertories. He can be heard in many former Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, notably as Pollione in Norma, opposite Zinka Milanov, and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, opposite Lily Pons.
Jagel also appeared in San Francisco, Chicago and Buenos Aires before retiring in 1950. He taught singing in New York after his retirement. Among his pupils were tenors Augusto Paglialunga, David Romano, Robert Moulson and John Stewart and Bass-Baritone Justino Diaz. He also served as Chairman of the Voice Department at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.