Dr. Michele Patzakis

parliamentarian

email: parliamentarian@natslachapter.org

Los Angeles native, lyric soprano Michele Patzakis is celebrated and in demand as a performer, director, producer and educator. Michele received her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at the USC Thornton School of Music where she was honored with the Vocal Arts Departmental Award at Honors Convocation and was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Michele held a teaching assistantship at USC and served as a Head Teaching Assistant for two years, teaching Voice Class and Individual Instruction and administrating the USC Thornton non-major voice program of over 150 students. Her research in the areas of Vocal Arts Medicine and Music Teaching and Learning have been presented at the CASMEC (California All-State Music Education Conference) and ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) conferences.

She received a B.M. from the University Of Southern California School of Music and an M.M. with Distinction in Performance from the New England Conservatory. Her training included fellowships with the Tanglewood Music Center and apprenticeships with the Opera Pacific Overture Company and Central City Opera. She was a National Winner of the Loren L. Zachary Awards, a Regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and winner of Los Angeles Music Center’s Young Artist of Future Vocal Competition.

Michele made her European debut with the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels where she performed for many seasons. She was featured in their European telecast of Puccini’s IL TRITTICO with Baritone José Van Dam, as Venus in Offenbach’s ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS on DVD, and in performance as a soloist on their world premiere and recording of Pascal Dusapin’s MEDEAMATERIAL. She made her New York operatic debut with the New York City Opera where she performed as Kathy in The Student Prince, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Musetta in La Bohême. She has performed as a soloist in recital, in concert, and in opera in over 30 leading operatic roles across North America and Europe with companies such as the Zurich Opera, Spoleto Festivals in both Italy and Charleston, S.C., the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Toulouse, Opera North, Caramoor, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Pacific Symphony, and most recently, the Marina del Rey and San Bernardino Symphony Orchestras.

With a doctoral emphasis in directing for the operatic stage, she directed productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury and a Sondheim review for the Chamber Opera of USC. In addition to being the artistic director of programs for the Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts, she also serves as a competition judge and as Vice President-Secretary of the Board. Currently serving on the Board of the NATS-LA (National Association of Teachers of Singing), she is also a member of The Voice Foundation, College Music Society, and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). Committed to supporting the young artists of the future, she currently is a consultant for WellSchooled, helping to guide students on their artistic journeys. She served as a conductor for the summer choral program at The Colburn School, was a guest artist and Master Teacher for the Vermont International Opera Festival and gives masterclasses and vocal health courses for choral programs in churches and high schools. Michele continues to concertize and direct programs throughout the region.