Gregory Kunde is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the French and Italian repertoires. Kunde studied choral conducting and voice at Illinois State University before making his professional debut in 1978 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as Cassio in Otello, later singing Prunier in La rondine, and Vanya in Katya Kabanova. He appeared at the Op�ra de Montr�al as Tybalt in Rom�o et Juliette, and as Arturo in I puritani, opposite Luciana Serra, which revealed his affinity for the bel canto repertory and his impressive upper register, reaching a high F in full voice. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, as des Grieux in Massenet's Manon. He won considerable acclaim in Europe in Les Huguenots, A Life for the Tsar, and Anna Bolena, and at the Pesaro Festival in 1992, as Idreno in Semiramide, and in 1993, as Rinaldo in Armida, opposite Ren�e Fleming. Other notable roles include; Mitridate, re di Ponto, Rodrigo in La donna del lago, Arnold in Guillaume Tell, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Nadir in Les p�cheurs de perles, Rom�o in Rom�o et Juliette, En�e in Les Troyens etc. 

February 24th, 1954 in Kankakee (Age 70)