Michele Patzakis, DMA is an award-winning performer, director, producer, arts administrator, and educator whose career bridges performance, pedagogy, and arts-in-health innovation. Internationally acclaimed as a lyric soprano and singing-actress, her voice has been praised as a “luscious lyric soprano” (Boston Herald), “powerful and vibrant” (Washington Post), and as possessing an energy that “resonates through the character itself” (New York Times).
She has performed throughout Europe and North America with leading opera companies and orchestras including New York City Opera, Théâtre de la Monnaie (Brussels), Zurich Opera, the Orchestra of Toulouse, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, and the Spoleto Festivals in both Italy and Charleston. Her appearances span major international venues such as Vienna’s Musikverein, Carnegie Hall, and Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium, and she has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Antonio Pappano, Marin Alsop, Michel Plasson, Marcello Viotti, Anton Coppola, and Philippe Herreweghe. Her performances appear on DVD, broadcast telecasts, and recordings, including landmark contemporary operatic works.
Deeply committed to arts education and wellness, Dr. Patzakis is a Teaching Artist with LA Opera Connects, where she serves on the faculty of the Leadership Academy and Creative Care: Opera for Life and Wellness initiatives. She is also Program Coordinator for LA County Arts and Health Week, collaborating with soprano Renée Fleming and major medical and research institutions. She co-created Opera for Life and Wellness, a breathing and singing program developed in partnership with UCLA Health for COVID-19 long-haulers, which has been featured on CNN, Inside Edition, and Johns Hopkins Medicine’s “Healing Breath” initiative. Her interdisciplinary work has included collaborations with the USC Brain and Creativity Institute, LA Children’s Choir, UCLA Health, and Keck Medicine of USC, exploring the social-emotional and neurological benefits of music and storytelling.
Dr. Patzakis is on the voice faculty at Pasadena City College and Azusa Pacific University, where she teaches applied voice, vocal pedagogy, opera performance, and chamber music. She is in demand as a curator and director of recital and scenes programs and has directed productions for SongFest at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and USC Chamber Opera. A recognized singing-voice specialist, she collaborates with laryngologists and voice care centers, and her research in Music Teaching and Learning and Vocal Arts Medicine has been presented nationally and internationally for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Performing Arts Medicine Association, The Voice Foundation, USC Visions and Voices, the Fall Voice and California Music Educators Association conferences.
As an arts administrator, she serves as Director of the San Francisco District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Artistic Director and Vice President of the Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts, and has held leadership roles at the USC Thornton School of Music overseeing vocal arts and non-major voice programs. She currently serves on the executive boards of NATS-LA and the Southern California Voice Foundation and is the Chair of the Community Advisory Board of the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Center Foundation for Hellenic Studies.A proud Greek-American artist, she co-produced the NEA Award-winning play The Women of Zalongo, continuing her commitment to cultural storytelling, mentorship, and transformative arts leadership.
Dr. Patzakis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she received the Vocal Arts Outstanding Graduate Award and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda. She also holds a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory with Distinction in Performance, with additional training at the Tanglewood Music Center and Young Artist Programs at Central City Opera and Opera Pacific. A winner of the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition District and Western Region Finals, she is equally celebrated for her students’ success, winning competitions and placements at leading institutions including USC, UCLA, Juilliard, NYU, Berklee, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
