Ramón Vinay

Ramón Vinay (August 31, 1911 – January 4, 1996) was a famous Chilean operatic tenor with a powerful, dramatic voice.

He later switched to tenor, making a second debut in 1943 and forging a successful international career after World War II.

Born in Chillán, Chile, Vinay trained with famed Lamperti student, José Pierson, in Mexico.

His colleagues on this occasion were Herva Nelli, Giuseppe Valdengo and Nan Merriman, together with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

He is said to be one of the two opera singers to have sung both Otello and Iago (the baritone villain) in Verdi's tragic masterpiece during the course of a career (the other being Carlos Guichandut).

In 1971, he also briefly returned from retirement to perform as the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlo, a role originally written for the bass voice.