theo adam (1 august 1926 – 11 january 2019) was a german operatic bass singer. he was born in dresden. he had an active international career in operas, concerts, and recitals from the 1940s through the 1990s. his best known works were operas of richard wagner. on the concert stage, he was a much admired bach singer and also drew acclaim for his work of the title character of felix mendelssohn's "elijah".