John Rizzo has been involved
in opera, one way or another, for over 40 years. In his early
career as a professional violinist, he played in the pit for numerous
opera performances. He once played in the American premiere
of Stravinski's The Rake's Progress with Maestro Stravinski
in the audience. As a composer, he wrote a concert aria for
Isola Jones, then a featured mezzo-soprano soloist in the Metropolitan
Opera of New York. Most recently, Mr. Rizzo founded the Italian
Opera Company of Chicago and directed a series of opera concerts.
For the past 17 years he has been the opera columnist for the Fra
Noi, a monthly Italian-American magazine.
Mr. Rizzo holds a Masters Degree in Theater from the University
of Illinois at Chicago and began teaching opera courses at Wright
Community College in 1987. Since 1999, he has been teaching
a very popular opera class at Oakton College. An insightful
critic and historian of opera, his lectures are very lively and
informative. He regularly integrates in-depth discussions
of all aspects of opera and vocal performance with video and audio
selections featuring some of the greatest artists of our time.
|