Gianni Schicchi

American tenor and educator William, or Bill, Lewis has died at 94.

Lewis was initially interested in a career in writing or baseball before focusing on singing, making his professional debut at Fort Worth Opera in 1953 as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi.

From 1956 to 1991, he performed at the Metropolitan Opera 234 times, along with major appearances at opera houses across North America and Europe.

Lewis taught at Penn State University, State University of New York at Binghamton, and University of Texas Austin, and served as director of the studio ensemble at the Butler Opera Center in Texas.