Remembering José van Dam (August 25, 1940 – February 17, 2026)

Blue Lake Public Radio | By Foley Schuler

Published February 24, 2026 at 6:01 PM EST

Tune Wednesday afternoon as Foley presents music of Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Gounod and Bizet—all featuring legendary bass-baritone José van Dam.

Equally impressive on the operatic stage, in the concert hall and on record, Belgian bass-baritone, José van Dam could do it all, and did—and we'll sample a good deal of it, with selections from throughout his illustrious carrer on Wednesday afternoon's Classical Music With Foley Schuler, as we pay tribute to this vocal superstar, who passed away on Valentine's Day at the age of 85.

You can hear Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.

Foley Schuler

Encouraged by creative parents, Foley began his music career at age 7, studying violin with Jean Manning at North Muskegon Public Schools. As a Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp camper, he became Blue Lake Public Radio’s first high school intern. Foley earned an English Literature degree from Hope College, and Masters in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the Warren Wilson College. He has performed with the West Michigan (formerly West Shore) Symphony; served on the English Department faculty at Muskegon Community College, and been the Music, Art & Theatre reviewer for the Muskegon Chronicle. He follows his love of the arts around the globe, but says, “There is no place like the Blue Lake setting, sharing extraordinary music with our listeners.” Foley hosts Blue Lake Public Radio’s weekday classical music from 1 to 4 p.m. and “Sunday on Blue Lake”.

See stories by Foley Schuler