The opera singer discovered while sorting records in a library
In short: David Rendall never intended to be an opera star. He was simply working at the BBC's Gramophone Library when a producer heard him singing and suggested he study professionally. From a humble record-sorter to a mainstay of the Metropolitan Opera, his journey is one of accidental destiny.
Born in London in 1948, Rendall initially pursued music through skiffle groups in secondary school rather than classical opera. His professional path shifted dramatically while he was working at the BBC's Gramophone Library, where he was sorting records for the show 'Desert Island Discs.' A producer noticed him singing "Questa o quella" from Rigoletto and urged him to seek formal training.
Rendall pursued his studies at the Royal Academy of Music (1970–1973) and the Mozarteum in Salzburg starting in 1973. Following his 1973 Young Musician of the Year Award, he rose rapidly to perform his first professional role as Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte with Glyndebourne Touring Company during 1975. By 1980, he had reached the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where he performed a total of 134 times.
His career was marked by both high achievement and physical peril. In 1998, he was involved in an incident where he accidentally stabbed a baritone with a faulty switchblade during a rehearsal; police cleared him of wrongdoing. Later, in 2005, a stage set collapse at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen shattered his hip and damaged his shoulders and knee, leading to multiple surgeries and a temporary hiatus from the stage.
Despite these injuries, Rendall maintained a "buoyant attitude," eventually returning for a major comeback concert in London in 2013. He spent his later years teaching at the Royal Academy of Music before passing away in July 2025 at the age of 76.
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