Dominic Cossa
Opera Music Theater International
OMTI Lifetime Achievement Award
Dominic
Cossa, "who possesses one of the most beautiful baritone voices you are
likely to come across anywhere," in the words of The New Yorker,
is that rarity among American singers: one who has primarily pursued his
career in the United States without getting his start in the European
opera houses.
Since he made his debut at the New York City Opera, he has sung in more
than 20 new productions. The variety of his roles with the company
encompasses Germont in La Traviata, Zurga in The Pearlfishers and
Pierrot in Die Tote Stadt. In 1970 Cossa made his debut at both the
Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera. With the Metropolitan, his
roles include Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Valentin in Faust,
Yeletzky in Pique Dame, Marcello in La Boheme, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut,
Albert in Werther and Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette.
Although Cossa chose intentionally to make his career in this country --
and succeeded -- he has appeared at Milan's Teatro Nuovo, which was his
European debut, London's Albert Hall and Strasbourg's Opera du Rhin. In
addition to performing a repertoire of more than 50 operas he has
frequently appeared in recital and in concert with such orchestras as
The New York Philarmonic, The Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony and
the Israel Philharmonic. He has worked with such eminent conductors as:
Ozawa, Bernstein and Solti. He has toured the Far East extensively with
concerts in Bejing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taiwan and Singapore.
His recording credits include complete operas with Beverly Sills,
(Julius Ceasar) RCA; Joan Sutherland, (Les Huguenots) London; and
Luciano Pavarotti, (Elixir of Love) London. He has also recorded "When
Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" with the Boston Symphony for New
World Records. He was chosen by Gian Carlo Menotti to appear in two of
his premiers: The Hero in which he sang the title role and Tamu-Tamu in
Spoleto, Italy.
Mr. Cossa sang Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus in Catania, Sicily and he
recently returned to Central City, Colorado for Yeletsky in Pique Dame
and Sharpless in Madam Butterfly. He is currently a professor of music
at The University of Maryland.
Dominic Cossa has received the Opera Music Theater International
Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career in the history of
opera, and his commitment to a new generation of OMTI Emerging Artists,
as adjudicator of OMTI International Vocal Competitions, and
International Singers Forum.
USAir is an official sponsor of OMTI.
