Clifford Harvuot

Clifford Harvuot (10 September 1912, Norwood, Ohio — 22 July 1990, Suffern, New York) was an American operatic baritone, husband of cellist Nellis DeLay, and The Metropolitan Opera's principal soloist between 1947 and 1975.

Initially studying with his father, Clifford began formal vocal training at nineteen. He won the "Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air" annual singing competition in 1942, drafted by the US Army shortly afterward; he served in the Philippines during the Second World War. Clifford Harvuot debuted with The Metropolitan Opera in November 1947, singing the guard's role in Mozart's Die Zauberflote. Over the next twenty-eight years, he gave almost 1,3000 performances at MET in 57 different roles. In September 1966, Harvuot participated in the inaugural performance at The Metropolitan Opera House, singing as "Rustic" in Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. His final stage appearance was in December 1975 with one of Clifford's most beloved characters, "Angelotti" in Puccini's Tosca.