Trivia

From 1970 to 1979 he was a soloist at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, where he sang the role of the Judge in the world premiere of Aulis Sallinen's The Horseman in 1975.

From 1980 to 1982 he was a soloist at the opera in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

In 1975 he entered the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm where he was also a soloist until he retired in 2020.

Made his operatic debut with the character of the philosopher Colline in Puccini's La Bohème in 1973 at the Finnish National Opera, where he was a soloist.

In 1968 he studied voice with Pekka Salomaa at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, with Torsten Föllinger in Stockholm and Luigi Ricci and Achille Braschi in Rome.

Has two children, Herman (a tenor) and Ida (mezzo-soprano), who are professional opera singers in Germany.

Appeared as a soloist internationally, including Moscow (Bolshoi Theatre), Tallinn (Estonia Theatre), Gelsenkirchen, Wiesbaden, Zurich, Manchester, Leeds, Los Angeles, Antwerp, Brussels and Brugge.

Initially studied in an Orthodox theological seminary and became a cantor.