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| Joseph Lattanzi |
It looks like San Francisco might be the place to be if you want to check out some of the most talented barihunks in the industry. Yesterday we featured Hadleigh Adams, who will be joined by Joseph Lattanzi as an Adler Fellow, an affiliate artists program under the guidance of San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley and Opera Center Director Sheri Greenawald. Lattanzi was recently featured in his hometown paper, the Marietta Daily Journal. Here is the entire article with some additional photos.
Joseph Lattanzi’s baritone voice has taken him far and wide since his days at Pebblebrook High’s performing arts program.
The
25-year-old opera star is wrapping up his master’s degree in music at
the University of Cincinnati and rehearsing for his role as Papageno in
“The Magic Flute,” at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
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| Joseph Lattanzi as Papageno |
“The Magic Flute,” a comedic opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, plays Thursday through Sunday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“The
character I play (in ‘Magic Flute’) is the comic relief of the show.
He’s always lost or thinking he’s going to die. … I love singing Mozart
operas,” said Lattanzi, who graduated Pebblebrook in 2006. “It’s very
ensemble-driven.”
Among his accomplishments are a bachelor’s
degree in voice from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio,
internships with the Atlanta Opera and Metropolitan Opera, completion of
the Georgia Governors’ Honors Program and completion of a summer study
program with Oberlin in Italy. His most recent credits include the
baritone lead in Merola Opera Program’s “Postcard From Morocco,” and
Dottore Malatesta in Seattle Opera’s “Don Pasquale.”
Publications
such as The San Francisco Chronicle have especially taken notice of
Lattanzi’s talents as they did in last year’s “Postcard From Morocco”
performance.
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| Joseph Lattanzi with Donovan Singletary a the Seattle Young Artist Program |
“Baritone Joseph Lattanzi, as a shoe salesman,
combined robust vocalism, deft soft-shoe skills and plenty of charisma
(in ‘Postcard’),” said Joshua Kosman, writer for the Chronicle.
Lattanzi is the son of Joe and Micki Lattanzi and grandson of Donald and Jean Murphy and Joe and Peggy Lattanzi.
When
the Mableton native graduates in May, he will continue traveling the
U.S. and singing in performances such as The Merola Opera Program’s “Le
Nozze di Figaro” on Aug. 1 and 3 and Seattle Opera’s “The Consul” from
Feb. 22 to March 7, 2014.
Lattanzi often lends his voice to area
performances when he has time off from school. Retired minister Neal
Ponder enlisted him to sing as guest soloist in December at Peachtree
Christian Church in Atlanta.
“He has an easy-to-listen-to
baritone voice. The fact that he combines singing, acting and good looks
are an advantage,” Ponder said.
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| Joseph Lattanzi in performance |
The retired minister has known Lattanzi since the up-and-coming singer’s Pebblebrook days and says his talents are numerous.
“I
think he has a very good understanding of who he is,” said Ponder, who
knew Joseph’s grandfather, Joe Lattanzi. “He has been very particularly
successful in playing comedy roles. … He’s not just a singer.”
Frank
Timmerman, director of Cobb County Center for Excellence in Performing
Arts at Pebblebrook High, says Lattanzi is among his favorite artists
who have graced the school halls.
“I’ve seen several of his
post-Pebblebrook performances and am filled with pride as I follow his
career,” Timmerman said. “Joseph is good to be willing to come back to
Pebblebrook to offer guidance and teach master classes for our students
when he’s home. By popular demand, he joins us each December for
performances of ‘Home for the Holidays’ at the Cobb Civic Center’s
Anderson Theatre. Each year, he brings the house down with his
performance of ‘O Holy Night.’”
Timmerman said he knew immediately that Lattanzi had great talent.
“When
Joseph was a fifth-grader at Mableton Elementary School, we invited his
choir to be a part of our Annual Holiday Concert at Pebblebrook,”
Timmerman said. “That’s when I first met Joseph and heard him sing. (He
was a soprano then.) Joseph sang a solo, ‘O Holy Night,’ on the concert.
I knew immediately that he had to come to Pebblebrook and that he was
destined for a career in the arts.”
Getting accepted into
Pebblebrook’s arts program is no easy task. Prospective students’
academic record, attendance record, discipline record, and talent
potential are evaluated during the selection. About 300 students from
all 24 Cobb County School District middle schools and from home schools
and private schools audition for the performing arts magnet program
every year, Timmerman said. About 100 students are accepted each year,
or one-third of those who audition.
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| Joseph Lattanzi |
In the arts program,
Lattanzi studied under Bradley Howard. The teacher helped Lattanzi hone
his voice and grow his appreciation for classical music. As Lattanzi
sees it, his time in Pebblebrook’s arts program was the key to his
current success.
“(Timmerman) immediately took me under his wing
as well,” Lattanzi said. “So I had a really great support system. They
encouraged me. … The teachers were willing to spend extra time to work
with me and help. Pebblebrook is really an amazing place.”
The
young artist says his goal is to travel the world and perform in as many
opera houses as possible. He hopes to one day become based with an
opera company in the U.S.
Looking back, Lattanzi credits his
family, peers and Pebblebrook’s arts program with giving him both the
professional tools and the freedom to perform.
“I couldn’t ask
for a more supportive family,” Lattanzi said. “My mom and dad make it to
everything. I’m just incredibly lucky to have such supportive family. I
feel invigorated just talking about it. It’s just a really great
feeling.”
