Albin Swoboda, Sr.

Albin August Heinrich Emil Swoboda (13 November 1836 – 5 August 1901) was an Austrian operatic tenor, actor, and opera director of German birth. One of the most famous opera singers of the "Golden Age" of Viennese operetta, he was a leading tenor and dramatic stage actor at the Theater an der Wien from 1859-1878. He notably appeared in the world premieres of operettas by composers Jacques Offenbach, Johann Strauss II, and Franz von Suppé. He also appeared in musical comedies and plays in Vienna, and appeared in stage productions of all kinds as a guest artist in theatres in Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. His son Albin Swoboda, Jr. also had a successful career as an opera singer. In 1955 a street in the Hietzing district of Vienna was named after him.

Born in Neustrelitz, Swoboda was the son of tenor and opera director Joseph Wilhelm Swoboda and dramatic soprano Angelika Peréchon-Swoboda. His brother Karl Swoboda was also an opera singer. During his early years he moved often with his parents, living in Leipzig (1837–1838), Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (1838–1839), and Düsseldorf (1840–1841). In 1841 both of his parents were engaged at the opera house in Frankfurt am Main, and the family lived there for the next seven years. His mother died in 1846 at the age of 30. In 1848 his father was offered a position at the Carltheater in Vienna, and the family accordingly moved to that city. In 1849 his father joined the Vienna Hofoper where he worked as a leading and comprimario tenor for the next 16 years and then served as the theatre's director from 1865-1875.

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