George Cehanovsky (14 April 1892 – 25 March 1986) was a Russian, Soviet and American baritone and language coach who had a close association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for six decades.
With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917 he resigned his naval commission and began studying singing seriously with his mother, Vera Cehanovska, a violinist, pianist and voice teacher.
[1] In 1926 Cehanovsky auditioned for Artur Bodanzky, chief conductor of the German wing of the Metropolitan Opera, and was hired as a comprimario baritone after he heard him sing only two measures.
[1] He made his debut with the company on November 13, 1926, as Kothner in Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg notably sharing the stage that evening with his future wife, soprano Elisabeth Rethberg, whom he would marry nearly 30 years later.
He also sang roles in the United States premieres of Turandot (Mandarin, 1926), Jonny spielt auf (policeman, 1929), Fra Gherardo (1929, Podestà's Assessor), Sadko (Apparition, 1930), The Fair at Sorochyntsi (Gypsy, 1930), and Caponsacchi (1937, Venturini).