MICHAEL PISTORIO

ABOUT

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Michael Pistorio is a Baltimore-based lyric baritone. He specializes in repertoire by JS Bach, GF Händel, R. Vaughan Williams, and is a champion of both classical and contemporary opera.

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ARTIST BIO​

​Michael Pistorio is a lyric baritone whose mission is to bring modern finesse to classical music. As an artist, he blends his commanding voice with intimate drama, making him an audience favorite. For over a decade, Michael has been performing as a professional chorister, concert soloist, and opera principal in the Baltimore-DC metro areas.​

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He made his international solo debut in 2015 as a young artist with the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in the medieval mountain city of Assisi, Italy singing Masetto (Don Giovanni), Dancaïre (Carmen), Marcello (La Bohéme), as well as the soloist in Fauré's Requiem, Mozart's Mass in C, and Schubert's Mass in G. He has studied classical voice with Ms. Joy Greene Meade, Dr. John Van Cura, Dr. John Wesley Wright, Mr. Robert Honeysucker, Mr. Thomas Enman, Mr. Jeff Gavett, and Mr. Robert Violette. ​​

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PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

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As an artist, Michael has presented a wide breadth of repertoire to domestic and international audiences. Some of his favorite operatic roles include Joseph De Rocher (Dead Man Walking), Jim Young (The Gift of the Magi), Marcello (La Boheme), Dancaïre (Carmen), Coppelius (Le Conte d’Hoffmann), Angelotti (Tosca), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Conte Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Top (The Tender Land), Melchior (Amahl & the Night Visitors), among others.

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Equally at home in concert repertoire, Michael has been principal soloist in Johannes-Passion (JS Bach), The Creation (Haydn), Requiem (Fauré), Messiah (Händel), St. Cecilia Mass (Gounod), Mass in C (Mozart), Mass in G (Schubert), Song of Man (arr. Hall Johnson), Songs of Travel (Vaughan Williams), Vier Ernste Gesänge (Brahms), Five Mystical Songs (Vaughan Williams), and Fantasia on Christmas Carols (Vaughan Williams). On his performance of Adam in Haydn’s The ​Creation ​with the Easton Choral Arts Society, Mr. George Davis of The Star Democrat praised his performance saying, “...his magnificent voice echoed with conviction and power.”

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As a sacred music singer, Michael has been privileged to lend his voice in cantor or choir in some of the greatest spaces in the US and Italy, including The Baltimore Basilica, Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Christ Church Easton, Cathedral of San Rufino, Iglesia de Santa Maria Maggiore, Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, and the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

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 In 2018, he made his Music Directorial debut with Stand Up For… Theater’s new production of La Cage aux Folles. Mike Zellhofer from Theatre Bloom praised the ensemble remarking, “Music Director Michael Pistorio should be all smiles when it comes to this cast. In the production that I saw there was nothing but perfection...” (And I was, from ear-to-ear the entire run.) 

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TEACHING ARTIST

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Along with performing, his parallel vocation is working with young singers and audiences, giving them a deeper connection to classical music and its presentations. He began working with middle and high school students while in undergrad as part of the PRESTO Preparatory School of Music at Salisbury University. Michael has maintained an independent private studio since 2013 and also taught for numerous local and national music education corporations.

For the '15-'16 season, he was a Guest Artist with the Performing & Visual Arts Magnet Program in Anne Arundel County, MD. During the academic year, he presented weekly workshops, masterclasses, repertoire coaching, as well as pedagogy, performance, and audition coaching.​

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In 2025 Michael co-founded the Charm City Opera Retreat. Along with mezzo-soprano Mairin Srygley and soprano Nicole Stover, CCOR is a two-week development and training program for early career opera singers. The opera retreat features a 10-session Virtual Workshop Series and a 14 day in-person program in historic downtown Baltimore, MD.

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​Below is Michael's full performance and training resume.

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