{{short description|American opera singer}}

'''Jean Cox''' (January 16, 1922&nbsp;– June 24, 2012) was an American tenor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://auffuehrungsdatenbank.bayreuther-festspiele.de/fsdb/personen/58/index.htm|title="Jean Cox", biography and Bayreuth performances|publisher=Bayreuth Festival|language=German|accessdate=26 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226010024/http://auffuehrungsdatenbank.bayreuther-festspiele.de/fsdb/personen/58/index.htm|archive-date=26 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early years== Cox was born in Gadsden, Alabama. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II era as a pilot. After obtaining a degree in Music from the University of Alabama, he studied singing with Marie Sundelius at the New England Conservatory. He was subsequently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to study in Rome for a year.<ref name=Siegfried133>''The 133rd performance at the Royal Opera House of Siegfried, Saturday Evening 11 October 1975.'' In-house theatre programme, The Royal Opera House Covent Garden.</ref>

== Opera career == Cox made his Italian debut at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto,<ref name="Siegfried133"/> where he appeared as Rodolfo in ''La bohème''. He then relocated to Germany, singing at Kiel, Braunschweig and Mannheim.<ref name="Siegfried133"/>

He made his Bayreuth debut as the Steersman in ''The Flying Dutchman'' in 1956.<ref name="Welt250612">{{Cite news |last=WELT |date=2012-06-25 |title=Heldentenor: Jean Cox — Bayreuths gefeierter Siegfried ist tot |language=de |work=DIE WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/musik/article107266335/Jean-Cox-Bayreuths-gefeierter-Siegfried-ist-tot.html |access-date=2022-12-09}}</ref> He subsequently sang the heavier roles there in many seasons from 1967 until 1984, mainly Siegfried in ''Siegfried'' and ''Götterdämmerung''. His international career extended mostly to Europe. He made his Covent Garden debut in October 1975, singing the title role in Siegfried.<ref name="Siegfried133"/> His Metropolitan Opera debut came in April 1976, when he appeared as Walther von Stolzing in ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Metropolitan Opera Association |url=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=archives.metoperafamily.org |archive-date=2018-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812164001/http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1977 he was nominated Kammersänger by the city of Mannheim.<ref name="Welt250612"/>

He is known for Heldentenor roles including Siegfried, Tristan, Walther, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. He also sang Otello in Verdi's opera.

==Personal life and later years== Cox was married to the mezzo-soprano Anna Reynolds, whom he had met at Bayreuth and with whom he later ran a successful academy for aspiring singers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-04-17 |title=Anna Reynolds obituary |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/17/anna-reynolds |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> He died on June 24, 2012, in Bayreuth, aged 90.

==Partial discography== *''Der fliegende Holländer'' (Daland's steersman). Bayreuth Festival, 1956, cond. Joseph Keilberth. Audio 2xCD. Walhall WLCD0190. *''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (Walther von Stolzing). Bayreuth Festival, cond. Silvio Varviso. Audio 4xCD. Philips PHI 434611 FC. *"Der Ring des Nibelungen" 1977 Munich conducted Sawallisch complete live radio recording with Jean Cox as Siegfried OD 11681-12 Operadepot (2017)

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.bruceduffie.com/cox.html Interview with Jean Cox], March 13, 1988. (Portion originally published in ''Wagner News'' in January, 1992) * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ka6gYXGWDQ MEISTERSINGER (YouTube) with Karl Ridderbusch]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Jean}} Category:1922 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American operatic tenors Category:Heldentenors Category:Musicians from Gadsden, Alabama Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II {{US-opera-singer-stub}}