Born: December 17, 1928 - Sanford, North Carolina, USA
Died: January 22, 1997

The black American tenor and teacher, Seth McCoy, studied at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College (graduated, 1950), before pursuing vocal training with Pauline Thesmacher at the Cleveland Music School Settlement and with Antonia Lavanne in New York.

Seth Mcoy first gained notice as an active soloist, when he appeared with the Robert Shaw Chorale (1963-1965), with which he toured throughout the USA and South America. Later he appeared with the Bach Aria Group (1973-1980). He was also soloist with orchestras in most of the largest cities in the USA, such as the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He sang under Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. In 1978 he made his European debut at the Aldebourgh Festival. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in February 1979 as Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. His London debut was as soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) in 1986. He also toured Europe, South America, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Seth McCoy joined the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York in 1982, after serving as a voice professor at the University of Michigan. In his lifetime, he was honored with the Marian Anderson Scholarship, the Artist Advisory Council of Chicago Oratorio Award, the Martha Baird Rockefeller Grant, and the Albert Schweitzer Medal for Artistry in Voice.

Seth McCoy, professor of voice at the Eastman School of Music and one of the nation's premier oratorio soloists, died of complications from a long illness. McCoy is survived by his wife, Jane Gunter-McCoy, and his mother, Pauline Jackson. Contributions in his name may be made to the American Diabetes Association and the Kidney Foundation.

Source: University of Rochester Website; Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2001)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Bach Aria Group

Tenor

Aria from BWV 236

Blanche Honegger Moyse

Tenor

BWV 30

Robert Shaw

Tenor

BWV 232

Johannes Somary

Tenor

BWV 244

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Currents--February 10, 1997 (Rochester)

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