Otto Goritz (June 8, 1873 - April 13, 1929) was a German baritone with the Metropolitan Opera from 1903 to 1917. He then sang for the Hamburg State Opera. Goritz was born in 1873 in Germany. He received his musical education from his mother, Olga Nielitz. He made his debut on Oct. 1, 1895, as Matteo (Fra Diavolo) at Neustrelitz, and his success led to an immediate engagement for 3 years. From 1898 to 1900 he was in Breslau, and from 1900 to 1903 in Hamburg. He sang with the Metropolitan Opera from 1903 to 1917. On Dec. 24, 1903, he made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Klingsor in the first production of Parsifal outside Bayreuth; remained there until 1917. In 1924 he returned to Germany, where he sang in Berlin and Hamburg. He performed in 25 roles at the Metropolitan, 24 of them in German and 1 in Italian. After the USA entered World War I in 1917, the Metropolitan Opera suspended performances of works from the German repertory and Goritz was either fired or forced to resign from the Met after having been rumoured to have sung a parody celebrating the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania at a New Year's Eve party hosted by Met soprano Johanna Gadski in 1916 (Gadski also was forced out of the Met around the same time due to the war and her German links). Goritz returned to Germany, and sang with the Hamburg State Opera for a number of years before returning to New York in the late 1920s.In the 1910s, Goritz sang works by Mozart, Wagner, and others on a number of 78 rpm recordings for Columbia Records, Edison Records, Victor and Victrola Records (two imprints of the Victor Talking Machine Company), and other companies. German baritone Otto Goritz created the key role of the Fiddler in the acclaimed world premiere of Königskinder at the Met on December 28, 1910. The composer was in attendance, with a cast led by Geraldine Farrar, Hermann Jadlowker and Goritz. In its rave review, the New York Times praised the humor and spirit of the baritone’s portrayal, in a role “admirably suited to him.” He died on April 13, 1929 in Manhattan, New York City.
