Cortis Antonio, *12 August 1891 on a ship between Oran and Altea, †2 April 1952 Dénia (near Valencia), Spanish tenor singer. He made his debut in 1915 at the Teatro Real in Madrid in Bizet’s Carmen. In 1919 he first performed in Italy; from 1924 to 1932 he was a member of the opera company in Chicago; he also appeared at La Scala (1931) and at Covent Garden in London. After 1935 he sang only in Spain, his last performance (1951) taking place in Zaragoza as Cavaradossi in Tosca by Puccini. Cortis was undoubtedly one of the finest tenors of the first half of the 20th century. Particularly memorable were his roles in operas such as Turandot and Tosca by Puccini, Carmen by Bizet, Il trovatore and Aida by Verdi, Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, and Pagliacci by Leoncavallo. After retiring from the stage, he worked as a teacher.
