Norman Scott (bass)

Norman Scott (1921 – September 22, 1968) was an American operatic bass. He had a long and fruitful association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1951 up until his death seventeen years later. His repertoire at the Met included well over 50 roles, and he gave a total of 927 performances at the house during his career. A talented actor with an excellent sense of comic timing, Scott excelled in playing secondary characters that were often humorous in nature. Although initially a comprimario singer, Scott was eventually given opportunities to tackle larger leading roles at the Met, and he spent much of his career at that house going back and forth between leading and secondary roles. Although Scott spent the majority of his career at the Met, he did occasionally perform with other opera companies both in the United States and abroad. A major personal triumph came in 1953 when he sang the title role in Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle at the Holland Festival.

Born in New York to parents of Russian origin, Scott studied business administration at the City College of New York before deciding to pursue a singing career. His opera career was stalled due to World War II, during which time he served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy in the South Pacific.

Soon after returning to the United States, Scott made his professional opera debut with Boris Goldovsky's New England Opera Theater in Boston. Other engagements soon followed at the Chautauqua Opera, New Orleans Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the Gran Teatro De La Havana. In 1948 he was invited by Laszlo Halasz to join the roster of singers at the New York City Opera. He became a favorite at that house in smaller comic roles, singing there for the next three seasons.

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