Richard Woitach, 1936–2020

The Metropolitan Opera mourns the death of Richard Woitach, who conducted 166 performances with the company from 1973 to 1994, and who was a highly talented and profoundly respected member of our music staff. Richard’s musical abilities across a wide spectrum of repertory made him a particularly valuable member of the conducting staff. He made his company debut with the “Mini-Met” performances at the Beaumont Theater in 1973, leading a double bill of Maurice Ohana’s Syllabaire pour Phèdre, a contemporary work, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, a baroque masterpiece. At the Met itself, he led German, Italian, and Russian works, and worked with such major artists as Beverly Sills, with whom he collaborated on several performances of Rossini’s The Siege of Corinth and her only Met appearances in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. A consummate musician and a beloved colleague noted for his kind, helpful nature, Richard will be sorely missed. We offer our condolences to his wife Jeryl, his sons Paul and Karl, their wives and children, and to all his family and friends.