BIOGRAPHY

 

American Mezzo-Soprano Lisa Agazzi has been critically praised for being "dramatically viable", "dark-voiced" and for possessing a vocal "sweetness and strength that set her apart."

A 1st place winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions - San Diego District, Ms. Agazzi has sung on stages across the United States and Italy, including San Diego Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Utah Opera, Indianapolis Opera, South Florida Opera (Palm Beach, FL), and Musica Riva Festival in Riva del Garda, Italy.

During the 2009-2010 season, Ms. Agazzi sang in her hometown of Detroit as Mercédès in Carmen with Metropolitan Opera Mezzo Kate Aldrich in the title role and Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music, opposite Leslie Uggams, both with Michigan Opera Theatre.  On the concert stage, she sang the Berlioz Nuits d'ete with the Warren Symphony Orchestra and was featured in arias and duets with the Macomb Symphony Orchestra's Ciao Italia concert.

Lisa's 2006-2007 engagements included Fyodor in Boris Godunov with San Diego Opera, Adalgisa in Norma with South Florida Opera and Zita in Gianni Schicchi with the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan

During the 2005-2006 season, Ms. Agazzi made her San Diego Opera debut singing Mercédès in Carmen and the Third Lady in The Magic Flute.  She was also the mezzo-soprano soloist in Rossini's Stabat Mater with the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan and travelled to San Marino, Italy where she performed and participated in the Renata Tebaldi Competition. 

 The 2004-2005 season saw Ms. Agazzi in Detroit as the featured soloist in a solo Christmas concert with the Warren Symphony.  She also made her debut with the South Florida Opera as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, while maintaining an active concert schedule that included performances at the Detroit Institute of Arts. 

 During the 2002-2003 season, she traveled to Riva del Garda, Italy, where she won the Borsa di Studio Award in the Riccardo Zandonai International Competition for Young Opera Singers.  While in Italy, she covered Carmen and sang Mercédès in a concert version of Carmen with the Musica Riva Festival Orchestra.  Upon her return to the US, Ms. Agazzi won the San Diego District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as well as the Audience Choice Award.  As a member of the San Diego Opera Ensemble, she toured southern California and Mexico singing Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Carmen in an educational work entitled OperaQuest and numerous concerts where she was featured in arias and duets.

In 2001-2002, Ms. Agazzi toured the Western United States with the Utah Opera Studio singing the title role in Rossini's Cinderella.  She also sang Mercédès in Carmen and Mrs. Segstrom in A Little Night Music on the mainstage with the Utah Opera.  During the summer of 2001 she was a young artist with the Pine Mountain Music Festival where she sang the role of Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and Briida in the world premiere of The Children of the Keweenaw. 

Just out of graduate school in 2000, she was selected to be the mezzo-soprano young artist of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble where she made her operatic main stage debut singing the roles of Meg and Samantha in The Ballad of Baby Doe with the Indianapolis Opera.  She also toured the Midwestern United States with the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble singing the title role in Pinocchio, an opera written for elementary school audiences, seen by over 30,000 students.

While still a student, Ms. Agazzi made her professional stage debut as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the 1999 Friedrich Schorr Memorial Performance Prize in Voice.  Later that year, she also sang Flora in La Traviata with Dorian Opera Theatre in Iowa and Sharon Graham in Masterclass with the New Studio Company of Detroit.

Ms. Agazzi studies voice with soprano Edith Diggory, D. Mus., who was a pupil of Margaret Harshaw at Indiana University.   Lisa attended Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan where she earned both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees with an emphasis on Vocal Performance.  She was twice the recipient of the Outstanding Student in Vocal Performance Award at Oakland as well as twice the winner of the David Daniels Concerto Competition.  She is a San Diego District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions winner and Audience Choice Award winner.

 

UPCOMING:
Lisa will be performing with Accordionist Joseph Recchia on Friday, April 27 at the Concorde Inn in Rochester Hills at 7:30 PM.  Performing a variety of musical styles including Italian and Neapolitan songs, Opera and popular music.  More information coming soon.  Contact the Concorde Inn for more informaion.