One of the most distinguished
Bach tenors of the twentieth century,
Kurt Equiluz began his singing career as soloist with the Vienna Boys Choir. After studies in music theory, harp, and singing at the Austrian State Academy for Music and Art in Vienna, he won several major competitions, including the International Singing Competition in England (1947-1948) and the Vienna Mozart Competition (1949). He joined the
Vienna State Opera Chorus in 1950 and went on to distinguish himself in 69 different roles, including Pedrillo in
Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Don Curzio in
Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Scaramuccio in
Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, Balthasar Zorn in the
Wagner's Die Meistersinger, Spoletta in
Puccini's Tosca, Kaiser Altoum in
Puccini's Turandot, Monostatos in
Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Rossillon in
Léhar's Lustigen Witwe. In 1987, he gave his final performance on the opera stage in Gluck's Iphigénie en Aulide. With a vocal style best suited to oratorio and lieder, his reputation largely rests on his performances in the complete cycle of
Bach cantatas and Passions directed by
Harnoncourt and
Leonhardt. In 1971,
Equiluz was was appointed as professor in Musikhochschule of Graz, and in 1982 as professor at the Wiener Musikakademie.