Treigle, Norman

Adanelle Wilfred (Norman) Treigle was born in New Orleans on March 6, 1927, the youngest of five children born to Wilfred and Claudia (Fischer) Treigle. His introduction to music was through his mother, who played both piano and organ, and his singing career began as a boy soprano in a church choir. At 16, "Addie" was graduated from Alcee Fortier High School, where he had been active in musical and dramatic presentations. He served in the U.S. Navy during the last two years of World War II and returned to New Orleans in 1945. A career in business was eclipsed by music as the young bass-baritone performed in churches and synagogues and with musical and theatrical groups. He married his childhood sweetheart, Loraine Siegel, in 1946, and the following year their son, Norman, was born. Determined to pursue a musical career, Treigle entered Loyola University where he studied with Elizabeth Wood for seven years. He won the New Orleans Opera House Auditions of the Air in 1947 and made his operatic debut with the company as Lodovico in Othello. During the next six years, he developed a repertoire of twenty-two roles with the New Orleans Opera and studied both drama and ballet to prepare for his career as a singing actor. He continued to solo at religious services of all denominations, performed with the New Orleans Pops and the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra, and hosted a radio show on WWL. According to his daughter Phyllis, the proprietors of WWL suggested that he change his name from "Addie" to a more professional stage name, and after studying various names, Treigle finally chose "Norman," the name previously bestowed on his son. In 1952 Treigle auditioned and was accepted by the New York City Opera, a company he chose for its focus on ensemble presentations and original, modern productions. His debut as Colline in La Boheme in 1953 was the beginning of 20 years of memorable performances by Treigle in New York City during the spring and fall seasons as well as off-season appearances with opera companies, symphonies and concert venues throughout the Western Hemisphere. A devoutly religious man, he continued to make guest appearances at various churches throughout his career. Although only 5'11" and 140 pounds, Treigle had a voice that belied his size as well as a dazzling acting ability. He was known for his dominating portrayals of Reverend Blitch in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, Grandpa Moss in Copland's The Tender Land, Escamilio in Carmen and Mephistopheles in both Faust and Mephistofele as well the lead roles in Boris Gudonov, Figaro, Don Quixote, Don Giovanni, and Gianni Schicchi. He and Beverly Sills often sang together in operas including Les Comptes de Hoffmann, Coq d'Or and most notably Giulio Cesare which was produced to showcase Treigle in the City Opera's premiere in new facilities at Lincoln Center in 1966. In actuality, it was Sills who credits that opera as the turning point in her career. In 1973 Treigle left the City Opera to concentrate instead on roles in operas produced by Cincinnati philanthropist J. Ralph Corbett. He made his London debut in a Covent Garden production of Faust in 1974, but despite ongoing negotiations for a Metropolitan Opera debut, no definite arrangements were ever finalized. Although Treigle had a vagabond career, he remained a New Orleanian. He and his second wife Linda lived near the lakefront with his daughter Phyllis Susannah (born in 1961 and named after Phyllis Curtin (Treigle's Susannah co-star), and Linda's daughter, Lisa, adopted by Treigle. He smoked constantly, drank Scotch, enjoyed wagering on the races at the New Orleans Fairgrounds, and was admired for his sense of humor and generosity. At the end of 1974, Treigle returned from London dispirited by a failing marriage, lukewarm reviews for the Faust production, and an injured foot. For years he had taken sleeping pills to help him sleep days after staying awake most nights, a dependency which, according to interviews with friends and colleagues, had become an addiction. On February 16, 1975, Treigle was found dead in his New Orleans apartment by his first wife, Loraine. The cause of death, originally thought to be a bleeding ulcer, was later determined by the coroner an overdose of sleeping pills. Norman Treigle was forty-seven years old.