Biography
Jess Floyd Thomas was born in Hot Springs, South Dakota. As a child he took part in various musical activities but studied psychology at the University of Nebraska. For several years he worked as a high school guidance counselor before enrolling at Stanford University for an MA. Learning that the operatic department was producing Verdi's Falstaff, he auditioned for Otto Schulmann, the vocal professor, and obtained the role of Fenton. Although by now 27 years old, Thomas decided to change careers and to become a singer. He studied intensively with Schulmann for three years before his operatic debut in 1957. He was awarded the Wagner Medal at Bayreuth, Germany in 1963. His many appearances in North America and Europe between the late 1950s and early 1980s included 15 seasons in 109 performances of 15 roles at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
He died in San Francisco, California in 1993, aged 66.
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