One of the most sought-after dramatic baritones of his generation will return to his alma mater to mentor young singers and musicians.
Michael Chioldi, a Pittsburgh area native who earned his bachelor’s degree in music from West Virginia University and his master’s degree from Yale, will return to Morgantown as part of the College of Creative Arts Alumni-in-Residence series.
Chioldi will offer a public master class from 1-3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Bloch Learning and Performance Hall, 200A Creative Arts Center. He will host a question-and-answer session at 4 p.m. in the Antoinette E. Falbo Theatre, 2200 Creative Arts Center. The events are free and open to the public.
Chioldi made his professional debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as Fl�ville in “Andrea Ch�nier” with Luciano Pavarotti under the baton of James Levin. Since then, he has performed at nearly every major American Opera House, including San Francisco, Houston, Washington National and Los Angeles. International appearances have taken place at Spain’s Opera de Oviedo, the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan, and on tour with Maestro Seiji Osawa, appearing in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Macau, and Spain.
“I’m looking forward to having Michael come to campus and share with our students his journey from a WVU undergraduate to a thriving career as an international opera singer,” said Rob Chafin, an assistant professor of voice in WVU’s School of Music. “Michael is a very engaging, involved, and committed performer and teacher, and he’s funny as all get-out.”
Chioldi’s signature roles include Scarpia in “Tosca,” Jochanaan in “Salome,” Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and Sharpless in “Madama Butterfly.” He portrayed Sharpless with the Washington National Opera and in a nationwide broadcast on the PBS television series, Live from Lincoln Center, which received an Emmy Award in 2008.
In addition to the Emmy, Chioldi’s awards and honors are numerous. He won the 1995 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Compeitition, and the Anna Case McKay Award. His recordings appear on the Sony Classical, BMG, Accord, and Newport Classic labels.
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CONTACT: David Welsh, WVU College of Creative Arts
304.293.3397; David.Welsh@mail.wvu.edu
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