MICHAEL PISTORIO

ABOUT

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I'm a performer and teaching artist whose mission is to de-mystify Classical music with integrity and modern finesse.  As a lyric baritone, I specialize in 18th century Opera and concert repertoire from the 17-19th centuries; notably the works of Händel, Mozart, and Vaughan Williams.

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EARLY BEGINNING & TRAINING

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My vocal journey started in 2007 when, while taking a voice class, the teacher invited me into her private studio and I was immediately bit by the opera bug! For the next few years, I received foundational training in staged productions and opera workshops. 

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To pursue performing in earnest, I studied with celebrated tenor Dr. John Wesley Wright of the internationally renowned American Spiritual Ensemble. Under his tutelage I earned top prizes at the MD/DC NATS Auditions and received multiple scholarships and awards from Salisbury University (Salisbury, MD)

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In 2015, I made my international debut as a young artist with the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in the medieval mountain city of Assisi, Italy. Returning in 2016, I gave numerous concerts with selections from opera, oratorio, art songs, musical theater, and African American spirituals.

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I continued my opera training at the graduate level with the Longy School of Music of Bard College (Cambridge, MA). During my time, I had the pleasure of studying with the late Robert Honeysucker (d. 2017) and Jeff Gavett of the internationally acclaimed new music ensemble LoadBang.  

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In 2018, I took a 'sabbatical' from performing to explore other professional aspects of the music industry; business operations & management, education & standardization, and marketing for national brands and corporations. In 2023, I received an international Certified Digital Marketing Professional credential from the Digital Marketing Institute (Dublin, Ire.) and a domestic Professional Certified Marketer credential from the American Marketing Association (Chicago, IL). 

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PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

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As an artist, I’ve been fortunate to present a wide breadth of repertoire to domestic and international audiences. Some of my favorite operatic roles include 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), as well as the titular roles of Giulio Cesare and Don Giovanni, among others.

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I’m also equally at home in concert repertoire, most especially in works such as 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 ​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, I’ve been privileged to lend my 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. Frances of Assisi.

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 In 2018, I made my 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, my parallel vocation is working with young singers and audiences, giving them a deeper connection to classical music and its presentations. I started working with middle and high school students while in undergrad as part of the PRESTO Preparatory School of Music at Salisbury University. Inspired by passing along what I was learning, immediately after graduating I formed an independent private studio and also taught for numerous local and national music education corporations.

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

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During my aforementioned sabbatical, I was thrilled to be the leader of a rock music school with a performance-based curriculum. For 4+ years, I managed a community of ~175 families and 15 instructor, created extended workshops & training for educators, handled all aspects of the business, and planned/executed six major events a year in student performance opportunities. It was a phenomenal education in the non-traditional ways to keep music central to students' lives. 

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All of this combined experience and expertise is why I am so passionate about bringing students into my world of music and showing them exactly how it can carry them through the rest of their lives. Whether it’s getting ready for a big audition or reviewing profit/loss reports, knowing how to manage the artist and the brand is crucial to success, and it’s easier than it’s made to be.

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Thank you for check out BeatnikBaritone! Keep scrolling for a comprehensive list of my repertoire and experience. For more information, please submit a Contact form. 

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- Michael P.

BeatnikBaritone