George Rasely

George Rasely (October 27, 1890 – 3 January 1965)[1] was an American tenor who had an active career in operas, concerts, and musicals during the first half of the 20th century.

[2] Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Rasely made his Broadway debut in 1917 as Nur-Al-Huda in Frederic Norton's Chu Chin Chow.

In 1928, he was committed to the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company where he notably portrayed the role of Schweiker von Gundelfingen in the United States premiere of Richard Strauss's Feuersnot on 2 December 1927 at Philadelphia's Metropolitan Opera House under the baton of Alexander Smallens.

[3] In 1936, Rasely joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, making his debut with the company as Vasek in Bedřich Smetana's The Bartered Bride on May 15, 1936, with Muriel Dickson as Marenka, Mario Chamlee as Jeník, and Wilfred Pelletier conducting.

His other roles at the Met included Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, Fellah in Mârouf, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Nathanael in The Tales of Hoffmann, Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto, and the Poet in Louise among others.