Hans Wolf, 92; Musician Held Posts With Operas in Seattle and Tacoma

Hans Wolf, 92, a Holocaust refugee who conducted operas and symphonies on radio and television and had numerous positions with the Seattle Opera and the Tacoma Opera, died Friday in Seattle following a heart attack.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Wolf studied music at the University of Vienna, where he earned a PhD. He came to the United States in the late 1930s to escape Nazism. During World War II, he served as a translator for the U.S. Army in Europe.

He stayed in Europe to work in the postwar occupation and moved to Los Angeles in 1950. He was frequently a featured conductor for the Remington Records label. He spent much of the ‘60s in Los Angeles, conducting operas, including “Aida” and “Carmen,” for television.

In the 1970s, he directed Seattle Opera’s chorus and conducted operas performed in English, often with his own translation, and led many community opera previews.

Wolf also led a revival of the Tacoma Opera, serving as artistic director from 1981 to 1996.