Robert Poulton, an established baritone, has been killed in a car accident in Sussex.
The singer had been appearing as the Gamekeeper in Glyndebourne on Tour's production of Dvořák’s Rusalka. The performance on Wednesday 31 November, at the Theatre Royal in Norwich, was cancelled as a mark of respect.
Poulton had started his professional career in the Glyndebourne chorus. He had also recently worked at Opera Holland Park, the Royal Opera House and Scottish Opera.
General director of Glyndebourne, David Pickard, said: ‘It is testament to Robert's generous character and amazing musicianship that he had such a distinguished operatic career, not just at Glyndebourne but also at many of the leading international houses’
Writing on the classical music blog, Slipped Disc, baritone Mark Glanville wrote: ‘Rob Poulton was simply one of the most delightful people I’ve ever met anywhere and I’m devastated to learn of his untimely death.
‘When a cast-list was sent out and Rob’s name appeared on it you could breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever the director or conductor might throw at you, whichever diva was going to give everyone a hard time, Rob would ensure that the experience was going to be entertaining and memorable.’
Photo: Athole Still Opera