Stephen Gould

Stephen Grady Gould (January 24, 1962 – September 19, 2023) was an American heldentenor and leading interpreter of Richard Wagner's stage works. He performed around 100 times at the Bayreuth Festival, especially as Tannhäuser, first in 2004, Siegfried, and Tristan, all three even in one year in 2022 which earned him names such as Iron Man.

Gould appeared at leading opera houses worldwide. His repertoire included, besides more Wagner roles, Paul in Korngold's Die tote Stadt, that he performed at the Vienna State Opera in 2004 and in the opera's British premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2009. He appeared as Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, the Emperor in Die Frau ohne Schatten by Strauss, Verdi's Otello, Aeneas in Les Troyens by Berlioz, and the title role of William Bolkom's McTeague. In concert he performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder, and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.