 He had almost made it back to Broadway Best two years earlier when he created the role of Edvard Grieg in "Song of Norway" for its pre-Broadway run at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera.However, he left the cast before the show reached Broadway.He made his debut with the Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company as Escamillo in Georges Bizet's "Carmen" on October 5, 1946 with Bruna Castagna in the title role.