After studies in Den Haag (with Lothar Wallerstein), Amsterdam and Milano, Van der Zalm was first a chorister in Den Haag and then a
comprimario in Amsterdam. After World War II, he sang primarily in operetta and musical revues, although he was also
Pinkerton in Amsterdam in the 1947/48 season.
From 1950, he focused on opera in Amsterdam for the next 25 years. As a guest, he appeared regularly in Antwerp and
Maastricht and once at Covent Garden (Radames, 1957). His most important roles were Pisandro (Il ritorno
d'Ulisse in patria), Radames, Don Carlo, Pedro, Cavaradossi, German, Vladimir Igorevich and Hoffmann; in later years, he
sang secondary roles. In 1975, he returned to operetta, singing for another eleven years with the Hoofdstadoperette.
Reference 1, reference 2: Kutsch & Riemens
Source for the recording: Youtube channel "opera nostalgia" (Rudi van den Bulck)
