ALEX DESOCIO, BARITONE
Described by The New York Times as having a “buttery, booming baritone," Alex DeSocio (Wichita, KS), received his BM from Northwestern University and his MM at the University of Maryland.
Alex has worked in many US opera companies as a principal artist including, Houston Grand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Pensacola Opera, Anchorage Opera, Opera Memphis, Livermore Valley Opera, Castleton Festival, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Pacific Opera Project.
Awards include being a 2 Time-Metropolitan Council Audition Semi-Finalist, Winner/Laureate with the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
ABOUT
Alex DeSocio’s “buttery, booming baritone” (The New York Times) has been featured extensively with opera companies across the United States.
For the 2024/25 season, Alex will be performing Papageno in Magic Flute with Florida Grand Opera, Malatesta in Don Pasquale with Opera Fort Collins, soloist in Carmina Burana with Knoxville Symphony, Valentin in Faust with Heartbeat Opera. Recent engagements include The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance with Central City Opera, Pagageno in Magic Flute with Livermore Valley Opera, Travis Briggs (Cover) in Intelligence with Houston Grand Opera.
Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia is a signature role for Mr. DeSocio, having performed it with Anchorage Opera, Opera Roanoke, Livermore Valley Opera, Mobile Opera, and Opera Colorado’s young artist program. Further professional role credits include the title role in Don Giovanni with Wichita Grand Opera, Le nozze di Figaro (Count Almaviva) with Miami Music Festival, Così fan tutte (Guglielmo) with LoftOpera, La Cenerentola (Dandini) with Opera Fort Collins, La bohème (Schaunard) with Charleston Opera Theater, Manon (Lescaut) with Opera Santa Barbara, Carmen
(Le Dancaïre) with Fort Worth Opera, L’heure espangnole (Ramiro) with Opera Memphis, and Amahl and the Night Visitors (Melchoir) with Amarillo Opera.
During his tenure as a resident artist with Pittsburgh Opera, Mr. DeSocio was seen as Montano in Otello, Le Commissaire in Philip Glass’ Orphée, Father in Gregory Spears’ Paul ’s Case, and Second Priest in The Magic Flute. Mr. DeSocio is also an alum of the prestigious Merola Opera Program, where he portrayed Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale.
A highly awarded artist, Mr. DeSocio is a two-time semifinalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, a winner/laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, a Sullivan Foundation winner, and an Eleanor McCollum Competition finalist. He won 1st place in the Shreveport Opera Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild and Opera Birmingham vocal competitions, and most recently the Cooper-Bing Competition at Opera Columbus, where he additionally received the Audience Choice Award. Mr. DeSocio also took 2nd place in the Premiere
Vocal Competition, as well as received the Merola Opera Program’s Shoshana Grant Award.
Mr. DeSocio earned his Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, and his Master of Music at the University of Maryland under the tutelage of Leon Major and Dominic Cossa. He is also the only opera singer certified as an Actor Combatant in The Society of American Fight Directors.
RECENT/UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
June 29, July 3, 5, 7, 13, 16, 20, 24, 27, and August 4
Pirate King-The Pirates of Penzance-Central City Opera
Swashbuckling Adventures and Harmonious Hijinks!
Set against the backdrop of Cornwall’s coastline, The Pirates of Penzance is a comedic operetta that revolves around a young man mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates due to a communication mix-up. As he completes his term with the pirates, he yearns for love and an honorable life. After humorous encounters with a group of young women and a crafty ruse involving the pirates’ soft spot for orphans, a surprising revelation about the young man’s true apprenticeship commitment is unveiled. Enjoy unexpected twists and a heartwarming resolution that touches on loyalty, duty, and societal expectations.
November 16, 17, and 19 (Miami) and December 5 and 7 (Fort Lauderdale)
New production created by Jeffrey Marc Buchman for Florida Grand Opera.
Mozart’s timeless opera, “The Magic Flute,” has long enthralled audiences with its multi-layered storytelling, captivating both adults and children alike. Its fantasy quest, woven together with both humor and poignancy offers a journey that inspires, surprises and delights. As I pondered how to craft my newest telling of this masterpiece, I found myself drawn to the parallels between its narrative and the immersive world of fantasy role-playing board games.
Role-playing games transport players to fantastical realms where they embark on epic quests, facing challenges that mirror our own struggles and triumphs. Like “The Magic Flute”, these games engage us on multiple levels, inviting us to explore themes of morality, resilience, and camaraderie. While both mediums undeniably provide a form of escapism, their true value lies in their ability to inspire. They serve as reminders of our potential for growth and the profound impact of shared experiences on our journey through life.
In this new production, I have blended Mozart’s opera with the world of gaming to tell its story through boundless imagination and adolescent eyes. If childhood represents a time of innocence and clarity where moral structures appear distinct and straightforward, then adulthood unfolds as a journey into the nuanced realm of complexity where we must confront the bittersweet truths that great pain often accompanies great love, and that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred in our pursuit of what we perceive as a noble cause. This transition from simplicity to complexity finds a poignant expression in adolescence, a period marked by questioning the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of the world around us. Through the lens of adolescent perception, navigating the uncharted waters of personal growth and self-discovery, the opera takes on a renewed vibrancy capturing the essence of a transformative journey into maturity.
Beyond mere entertainment, “The Magic Flute” and role-playing games both present profound opportunities for personal exploration and empowerment. They challenge us to confront ethical dilemmas, to tap into our inner resilience, and to forge connections with others. Whether in the opera house or sitting around a gaming table, these experiences inspire us to embrace our inner hero and confront the battles that life throws our way.
In a world that often feels fragmented, the communal experience of attending the opera, just like that of role-playing board games, offers a sense of belonging and shared purpose. By merging these two worlds, this production celebrates the enduring power of storytelling to unite, inspire, and transform. It is a tribute to the child in all of us, whose imagination knows no bounds and whose spirit yearns for adventure and magic.
March 7th and 8th
Malatesta-Don Pasquale-Opera Fort Collins
The wealthy old bachelor, Don Pasquale, has decided to take a wife so that he may produce an heir, cutting out his insubordinate nephew, Ernesto, out of his inheritance. Refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, Ernesto is devastated to think of a life without, Norina, a beautiful widowed woman in the village. Dottore Malatesta, a friend of Ernesto and Don Pasquale, helps the couple come up with a plan to trick Don Pasquale into giving the couple permission to be married with Ernesto’s inheritance. Disguised as a demure country girl, Norina is married to Don Pasquale in a fake ceremony and then wreaks havoc on Don Pasquale’s life. After a series of hilarious hijinks, the plan works, and Don Pasquale allows Ernesto to marry Norina, stating that marriage is not suited for an old man such as himself.
May 13-25
Valentin-Faust-Heartbeat Opera
A classic tale. A wild retelling. A lonely scholar makes a bargain with the devil, and all hell breaks loose. Heartbeat Opera’s distinctly American adaptation tells the story of Faust and Marguerite — a man who wildly misuses his regained youth, a young woman whose potential for life and love is cut tragically short, and the ravaged community left in their wake. Retelling one of most popular operas of all time, we ask what happens when the soul hasn’t evolved along with the mind? When voracious ego rules us, and reckless forward motion is all?
