Renowned for his vocal prowess and captivating stage presence, Italian-American baritone Joseph Lodato is emerging as one of the foremost interpreters of the Verdi baritone repertoire. With a voice praised for its “stunningly beautiful timbre, Italianate snarl, mixed with controlled passion and a deep understanding of the repertoire,” Lodato brings a characteristic dramatic commitment and deep technical mastery to a variety of musical genres.
Lodato has taken center stage in the title roles of many of opera’s timeless classics, embodying characters such as the enigmatic Rigoletto and the menacing Don Giovanni. His interpretations of Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Germont in La Traviata, Scarpia in Tosca, and Peter in Hansel und Gretel have earned acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
The 24/25 season sees a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago for their productions of Verdi’s Rigoletto and Beethoven’s Fidelio. October brings Joseph back to NYC for a concert performance of Sondheim, Etc. November takes Lodato to Miami for Orchestra Miami’s “Puccini’s Legacy” Gala, and The Frost School of Music at University of Miami where he returns to his Alma mater as Guest Artist leading a Master Class and Town Hall with their Vocal Performance students. Closing out the holiday season Joe arrives in California as the Baritone Soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Opera Laguna. In the early part of 2025 Mr. Lodato will be Visiting Artist in Residence at the prestigious Trinity University, San Antonio – Texas, where he will be presiding over Masterclasses and singing the baritone solos in Brahm’s masterwork: Ein Deutsches Requiem, with Trinity Choral Union and Trinity University Symphony Orchestra. April brings Lodato’s much anticipated return to Opera Las Vegas for their Viva Verdi concert celebration. Closing out the season Lodato joins Opera Festival of Chicago covering Tonio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Manfredo in Montemezzi’s L’Amore dei tre Rei, as well as performing in concert with the company. Afterwards Joe joins the faculty of “The Resilient Singer” summer program in Hartland, Wisconsin, as Master Teacher and Guest Lecturer.
In the 2023/2024 season, Lodato joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Wagner’s Die Fliegänder Holländer and Verdi’s Aïda before headlining Puccini99, an evening of Puccini’s arias and scenes with the NYC-based orchestra Terpsikord at The Kauffman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall. Additionally, he made his feature film debut as “The Opera Singer” in the highly anticipated film, The Kill Room, starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson.
In the preceding season, Lodato bowed in The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Wagner’s Lohengrin and made his Carnegie Hall debut in Vaughan Williams’s “Five Mystical Songs.” At Lincoln Center, his concert debut on the American Songbook series alongside composer Huang Ruo demonstrated his versatility and affinity for
contemporary music which he continued to showcase as Pa Zegner in Mizzoli/Vavrek’s Proving Up with Opera Las Vegas. Lodato won critical acclaim for his portrayals of Dikson in New Amsterdam Opera’s La Dame Blanche and Angelotti/Shepherd in Heartbeat Opera’s innovative production of Tosca, set in modern-day Iran.
Beyond the operatic realm, Lodato is a proud SAG-AFTRA actor, boasting appearances in Sex and the City, American Horror Story, Succession, Billions, Law & Order: SVU, NCIS, and several major motion pictures.
With equal prowess in musical theater and jazz, Lodato’s collaborations with luminaries like Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, jazz icon Lea DeLaria, and composer-pianist John Musto underscore his versatility and wide-ranging artistry. An advocate for new works, he has premiered compositions like the evocative cycle “Dear Theo,” based on Vincent Van Gogh’s letters, composed by Ben Moore.
Lodato was educated at Westminster Choir College, The Frost School of Music at The University of Miami, and Salzburg College – Austria. He completed Young Artist Training under the auspices of The Metropolitan Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Opera and was a top award winner at The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (as Baritone & Counter-Tenor consecutively), Los Angeles Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Premier Opera Foundation, and was recently named an Olga Forrai Foundation Grantee. He is also the Founder and General Director of Heritage Concert Series.