Hadley, Jerry (1952-2007) | University of Illinois Archives

Name: Hadley, Jerry (1952-2007)

Historical Note: Jerry Hadley (1952-2007) was an American operatic tenor, who focused on bel canto repertory. Born in Manlius, Illinois, Hadley attended Bradley University in Peoria. He earned a masters degree in vocal performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying with Grace Wilson, James Bailey, John Wustman, and Eric Dalheim. In 1978, Hadley began singing with the New York City Opera, debuting as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1979. In 1982, he performed with the Vienna State Opera, which led to performances at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Deutsche Oper, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and many opera festivals in Europe. Thoughout the 1990s Hadley toured and recorded albums, including the EMI three-CD recording of Show Boat. In 1997, he created the role of Don Luis de Carvakal y de la Cueva in Myron Fink's Conquistador. After his divorce from Cheryll Drake in 2002, Hadley took a break from touring until 2004. His last operatic performance took place in May 2007 in Brisbane, Australia. Hadley died in 2007 in his home in New York.

Note Author: Nolan Vallier