Classical Vocal Masterclass

Soprano Maria D’Amato’s voice was described by Opera News as “beautifully floated” and “a gem” as Desdemona in Otello with the Sarasota Opera. The Shirley, NY native performed the role of Mimì in La Bohéme with Ash Lawn Opera and Sarasota Opera after her successful debut in the role with Dicapo Opera Theatre in New York City. She made her solo role debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 2013 in the world premiere of Two Boys as “American Suburban Mom” and in subsequent seasons sang the “First Noble Orphan” in Der Rosenkavalier, “Madrigal Singer #1” in Manon Lescaut, “Ancelle #1” in Turandot and performed the spoken role of “Natalie” in Die Fledermaus. Other roles with Sarasota Opera include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Thibault in Don Carlos and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Maria performed Despina in Così fan tutte,and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program; Nannetta in Falstaff, and Poppea and Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, all with Opera North, NH. Ms. D’Amato holds a B.M. from Boston University and an M.M. from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.

Equally at home on the concert stage, she debuted with the Seattle Symphony under Maestro Gerard Schwarz as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. She was a soloist in Bach’s B-minor mass and Mozart’s C-Minor mass in Cincinnati, and was a soloist in Carmina Burana with both the North Arkansas Symphony and the Eugene Ballet. She was the soprano soloist with the Artist Series of Sarasota in their Golden Age of Operetta concerts and sang the soprano I solos in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Awards include Opera Index, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation grants and appearances in concert at Alice Tully and Rose Halls, Giulio Gari Foundation grants, and the Lendon Todd Munday Encouragement Award from the Jensen Foundation.

Maria has been a member of the full-time chorus of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera for eight seasons.