Richard Woitach
 Richard
Woitach joined the Metropolitan Opera in 1959, where he served as staff
conductor for 38 years. He studied at the Eastman School of Music and was a
student of the late Orazio Frugoni. Before graduation, he joined the Rochester
Philharmonic as official pianist until his engagement by The Met. He also
appeared as piano soloist under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf with the Rochester
orchestra and the Boston Symphony. He has toured as the piano accompanist for
violinist Zino Francescatti (1957-59 in USA, Canada & Europe) and played for
many celebrated singers such as Sherrill Milnes, Anna Moffo, Jon Vickers, John
Shirley-Quirk and Teresa Stratas. With the latter, he recorded THE UNKNOWN KURT
WEILL, which received a Grammy nomination in 1982, as well as having made
recordings, as pianist, with Regina Resnik and Jon Vickers. CDs of his
recordings with Ms Resnik and Mr Vickers are currently available. He also made a
recording in the UK conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also
appeared frequently as guest piano soloist with various orchestras in works by
Karol Szymanowski, Ludwig van Beethoven, J S Bach, W A Mozart and George
Gershwin.
Richard Woitach’s professional operatic debut was in 1961 with the Cincinnati
Opera’s production of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. He has served as Artistic
Advisor of the ARIZONA OPERA, Music Director of WESTERN OPERA THEATER and
the WOLF TRAP OPERA COMPANY (7 seasons). He has appeared as guest conductor with
numerous companies including the SAN FRANCISCO OPERA, OPERA COMPANY OF BOSTON,
the OPERA COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA, VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL and the
MILWAUKEE FLORENTINE OPERA. In 1990, he inaugurated the Valhalla Wagnerfest in
New York State, conducting performances of Wagner’s SIEGFRIED. At the MET, he
conducted Strauss’s ELEKTRA in January 1994.
In his career, he has conducted over 800 performances of 88 different operas, 23
of these works at the METROPOLITAN OPERA. His repertoire also includes over 200
orchestral works. In the Spring of 1992, in Buffalo and Detroit, Maestro Woitach
conducted the first complete performances in the Western Hemisphere of Karol
Szymanowski’s operatic masterpiece KROL ROGER in the original Polish.
After retiring from the METROPOLITAN OPERA staff at the end of July 1997,
Richard Woitach embarked on a varied series of piano recitals (3 in New York
City including 6 World Premieres), is conducting symphony dates and is
performing orchestral solo engagements which began with the Beethoven "Triple
Concerto" with the Syracuse Symphony (Syracuse, NY) November 9, 1997. He was the
Music Director of the Merrick Symphony in Long Island, NY with whom he conducted
a concert performance of Puccini’s LA BOHEME on November 14, 1998. His schedule
also includes lectures, composing, musical coaching, accompanying, and guest
teaching. He has appeared on Texaco’s intermission features to the Saturday
METROPOLITAN OPERA radio broadcasts over 100 times in the last 36 years.
Maestro Woitach is no stranger to musical theater. In 1968, he made his
Pittsburgh debut with the Civic Light Opera’s SWEET CHARITY starring Chita
Rivera and has conducted TOVARICH with Ginger Rogers, SOUTH PACIFIC with Giorgio
Tozzi, TOP BANANA with Phil Silvers, SHOWBOAT and MY FAIR LADY.
Maestro Woitach has given Master Classes at San Francisco State College, Indiana
University, Academy of Vocal Arts (Philadelphia), University of Guelph (Ontario,
Canada), Bel Canto Institute @ SUNY NEW PALTZ, The Pittsburgh Opera, University
of Alabama, Glimmerglass Opera (New York), National Association of the Teachers
of Singing (Toronto, Canada) and others. He is also a popular lecturer on music
and opera. Recently, Richard Woitach participated in 2 separate programs with
his fellow members of IPTAR (Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and
Research). These programs are part of a continuing series analyzing Richard
Strauss, his personality and his music; in particular, his female protagonists.
He has recently lectured for The Bel Canto Institute at SUNY NEW PALTZ and The
Verismo Opera (New Jersey).
He has given 4 piano recitals in the last few years in St Croix, US Virgin
Islands, the most recent on May 12 & 13, 2000. His most recent performance was
of Richard Strauss’ melodrama, ENOCH ARDEN which featured Jon Vickers reading
the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, accompanied by Mo. Woitach, on October 24, 2000
in New York City.
Currently, he has turned his musical talents to composition and is in the
process of co-writing a large piece with his nephew, guitarist-composer
Christopher Woitach.
Richard Woitach on Guild Music
Page revised 04.12.02
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