Russell Oberlin

The great countertenor Russell Oberlin has died, age 88. He was one of the two most important figures in the countertenor renaissance of the mid-20th century, the other being the English countertenor Alfred Deller.

Of local interest: Oberlin sang the role of Oberon in the US premiere of Britten's marvelous A Midsummer Night's Dream at San Francisco Opera.

Margalit Fox wrote the Times obituary; here's an article from a few years ago about how homebound patients dealt with Hurricane Sandy, in which Oberlin featured prominently.