Biography

Praised for her "rich sound" and "remarkable agility" (Brooklyn Daily Eagle), mezzo-soprano Cornelia Lotito has most recently made her Knoxville Opera debut as Stephano in the company's 2020 production of Romeo et Juliette. She has also performed the roles of​ Dorabella (​Così fan tutte - Light Opera New Jersey), Angelina (La Cenerentola - Opera Theatre of Montclair), Berta (The Barber of Seville - Light Opera New Jersey), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte - Opera Theatre of Montclair) and many others​. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, she performed the roles of Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief), Amelia's Friend (Amelia Goes to the Ball), and Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), as well as several other roles from mezzo-soprano and soprano repertoire. She also recently debuted with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, singing the 2nd Fairy/mezzo-soprano solo in Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

A frequent vocal competitor, Ms. Lotito recently won an Encouragement Award from the Tennessee District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, as well as an encouragement award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and several first place NATS awards. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Montclair State University and is currently completing her Master of Music degree at University of Tennessee Knoxville under the instruction of Dr. Kimberly Roberts. Upcoming performances will include Kamran Ince's Abandoned and the role of the Psychiatrist in Russell Smith's The Unicorn in the Garden in the University of Tennessee's Spring 2021 opera season, and her graduate recital on April 25th.