BIOGRAPHY

American soprano Latonia Moore had a great triumph in Hamburg's new Aida this past spring. She had returned there earlier in 2010 for her reprise of Butterfly following up on her resplendent debut as Amelia in Ballo to open the current season. She was also triumphant as Aida last summer with the Minnesota Orchestra under Maestro Andrew Litton where "a star was born and " who was a cauldron of intensity from start to finish, displaying a rich, colorful, dramatic soprano". She performed Madama Butterfly with the Hamburgische Staatsoper last spring and just prior, Micaela in Bilbao.  This was preceded by her debut in Covent Garden as Liu. Late last fall she performed an “outstanding Lucrezia” in Bilbao’s new I due Foscari and last spring she was a “sensational” Liù for Bilbao and just after, returned to Carnegie Hall as the lead soprano in Puccini’s Edgar where she was “the unquestionable star of the evening, whose every aria was greeted with a deserved ovation.  This lady must be one of the greatest sopranos in our present day and I have not the slightest hesitation to equate her with many of the greats of the past.  Mme. Moore exhibits a totally seamless purity in the  tone, fabulous silvery “Zinka-like” high pianissimi and large and rich voice all through the registers; luscious low notes, and a sense of the drama through her intelligent phrasing….”.  Other recent appearances include the Verdi Requiem with Loren Maazel in the Sant’ Ambrogio Cathedral in Milano and at the Basilica of St. Francisco d’Assisi, Trieste’s season-opening Ernani, and a resounding triumph at the Hamburgische Staatsoper as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra. She also sang the title role in Madama Butterfly in Dresden’s Semperoper as well as at Palm Beach Opera.  She also made her New York recital debut in Carnegie Hall, was Vivetta in Opera Orchestra’s L’Arlesiana in Carnegie Hall, “triumphed as a radiant-voiced Micaela” in her debut with New York City Opera at Lincoln Center in their revival of Carmen and performed her first Elvira in Verdi’s Ernani in Vienna as well as Nedda in a gala concert for La Monnaie, Brussels.  In appearances prior to 2007 she was in Dresden for Liù, debuted with the Cincinnati Symphony in the Mahler 2^nd conducted by their music director Paavo Järvi and performed with the Philadelphia Pops for concerts of Porgy & Bess. She was Mimi again in Dresden in fall 2005, performed her first Verdi Requiem in her Italian debut for the teatro Verdi, Trieste under M° Daniel Oren as well as the roles of Liù and Mimì, also under M° Oren in early 2006.  A native of Houston, Texas, Ms. Moore won the Maria Callas award as debut artist of the season with the Dallas Opera where she was “an engaging presence with substantial vocal resources” as Micaela in their season-opening Carmen.  She performed the Mahler 4^th  and Berg Lieder at the Festival de Paques de Deauville, France, recorded for TV, and was the soprano soloist in the Mahler 2^nd  with the National Symphony.   

In 2003 and '04 Ms. Moore was the Countess in Academy of Vocal Arts’ Nozze where she was also the soprano lead in Puccini’s Edgar.  She “gave an inspiring and heartfelt performance as Margeurite” in their production of Faust in 2003.  Ms. Moore has won many awards, including: The Richard Tucker Foundation grant (2005), first prize at the Marseilles Competition and the public recognition prize (2003), first prize and the public’s prize in the International Competition dell’Opera, Dresden (2002), and the 2002 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s National Auditions.  She recorded the Mahler 2^nd for Deutsche Grammophon.  Other recent roles have included the title role in Lucrezia Borgia and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

In the orchestral repertoire, Ms. Moore has performed the Mozart Coronation Mass and Mendelssohn’s Symphony #2 as well as the Mahler 2^nd. 

In 2010-11 she returns to Bilbao in the title role of Susannah in a new production, to the teatro Verdi, Trieste in the Verdi Requiem, to Hamburg as Aida and Butterfly and to Covent Garden as Aida. Coming seasons will have her returning to the Dallas Opera and debuting at San Diego Opera.