UGA Opera Theatre is thrilled to welcome guest artist and mezzo-soprano Heather Witt to the stage for the upcoming production of Gianni Schicchi. She will be performing the role of Zita in this one-act Puccini classic, which will be presented as part of a double bill with Mozart's The Impresario on October 20-21, 2016. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called mezzo-soprano Heather Witt, “the kind of singer you hope to hear - talented, alert... a singer with a future.” Ms. Witt is known for her portrayal of a wide array of opera’s most notable mezzo-soprano characters, including: Gertrude in Romeo et Juliette, Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffman (FIO, Brazil), Dryad in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Principessa in Suor Angelica, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Second Lady and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Elmire in Tartuffe, Mauya in Riders to the Sea, Mrs. Nolan in The Medium, Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring, Meg in Falstaff, Sally in Hand of Bridge, and Dorabella in Cosí fan tutte, among many others. Most recently Heather Witt performed in the debut of a fully staged production of Hans Eisler's Hollywood Songbook (Songfest). The L.A. Times called her performance "...uniformly impressive." She has also performed the roles of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Phobia in La Pizza con Funghi, and Madelena in Rigoletto with Northwinds Symphonic Band (Gainesville, GA), and Handel's Messiah with the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (Anderson, SC). Ms. Witt won first place in Georgia State University’s Bauru Atlanta Competition (2011), was an Emerging Artist at St. Petersburg Opera (FL) in 2011, and also attended the prestigious Opera Division at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy (2005). In 2013, Ms. Witt made her South American debut with Festival of International Opera of the Americas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Grab your tickets for The Impresario & Gianni Schicchi, presented in the Hodgson Concert Hall in the UGA Performing Arts Center. Performances are sung in the original languages with supertitles and will take place at 7:30pm on October 20th and 21st. |