Franz Fehringer

Who was Franz Fehringer?

Franz Fehringer was a German operatic tenor, particularly associated with light lyric roles in the German, Italian, and French repertories.

Fehringer studied in Karlsruhe with Jan van Gorkom and Dr. Zimmermann, and made his debut there in 1934, in the tenor part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the following year he appeared in Handel's Serse, and later in Rodelinda. He remained in Karlsruhe until 1938, and during the war, he sang mostly in Wiesbaden and on German radio.

After the war, he appeared in Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, while continuing singing on radio. He made a few guest appearances abroad, notably in Hilversum and Paris. Notables roles included Don Ottavio, Almaviva, Tonio, Hoffmann, Hans, Narraboth, etc.

Fehringer was also very popular in operetta, and was an admired recitalist of lieder. Beginning in 1960, he taught at the Mainz Musikhochschule, and later at the Heidelberg Musikhochschule.