WFIU's featured artist for the month of May is soprano and Professor of Music at the Jacobs School of Music, Patricia Wise.
In May of 2013, Wise will retire after an illustrious career that spanned four decades. A member of the Jacobs School of Music faculty since 1995, Patricia Wise decided to become an opera singer at age 19 after seeing a performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Just four years later, she made her New York debut as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville with the New York City Opera.
During her career, Wise divided her time between the United States and Europe, singing for 15 years with the Vienna State Opera and in many other major opera houses. In 1991, the Austrian government honored her with the title of Kammersänger. Characterized as a lyric, coloratura soprano, she performed a variety of roles throughout her career, including Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, Susanna in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Juliette in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, and Lulu in Berg's Lulu, and many others.
Wise also gave concert performances and made recordings with conductors including Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, and Zubin Mehta. She remains active teaching masterclasses worldwide, and as an adjudicator, including for the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. Her students have gone on to successful careers in opera houses worldwide. Patricia Wise will retire to New York City, where she plans to continue teaching voice and mentoring singers.
WFIU will feature performances by Patricia Wise in classical music programming throughout the month of May.