User:TMKizart/Takesha Meshé Kizart

Takesha Meshé Kizart is “blasting star quality all over the stage with her stunning voice and sensational good looks” (Opera News). Star of the feature film The Verdian Voice, and laureate of numerous international competitions, she is rapidly being hailed as the next great Verdian Voice of her generation. The New York Times describes her singing as “powerful, lustrous, silky, caramel-hued, wielding impressive ease and elegant control” and critics worldwide are praising her visually- and vocally-compelling performances. Kizart’s versatile body of work already includes leading operatic heroines of the bel canto, verismo, and contemporary eras. Her musical roots run deep. A performer since the age of two, the Chicago native counts music legends McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield and Tina Turner among her relations. Judging by her current ascent, this young and dazzlingly talented vocal artist is destined for greatness on the lyric stage and beyond.

This season Kizart made a notable debut at the Metropolitan Opera in La bohème, and she is scheduled to return in 2012. “The most intriguing of the new faces was Takesha Meshé Kizart. With her exotic and voluptuous soprano, her megawatt presence automatically drew the eye,” wrote the New York Post. She opened the season as Clitennestra in Gnecchi’s Cassandra at Deutsche Oper Berlin led by maestro Donald Runnicles. During 2011 she returns to Berlin in the title roles of Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Respighi’s Marie Victoire, and sings the lead in new productions of Tosca in Frankfurt, La bohème with Opera Australia, and Il Trovatore in Tokyo. 2012 marks her first Norma with Opera North, Tosca at the Bavarian State Opera and in a new production in Cologne, and her return to the Metropolitan Opera in Turandot.

Kizart made her professional debut in 2006 as The Dutchess in Thomas Adès’ Power Her Face with Musikfest Bremen and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie. Her American professional debut occurred in 2008 in the title role of Tosca with The Dallas Opera. Among her American highlights is a highly acclaimed Leonora in La forza del destino at the Caramoor International Music Festival in 2008. Other U.S. performances include Costanza in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata with Gotham Chamber Opera, Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari with Opera Orchestra of New York, and concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Fort Worth Symphony.

Takesha Meshé Kizart sang her first Messiah in her early teens at the First Baptist Congregational Church in Chicago. A graduate of the Whiney M. Young Magnet High School, alma mater of First Lady Michelle Obama, she excelled not only in music and theater, but also dance, modeling and as a member of the Young Lawyers Section of The American Bar Association. She attended the University of North Texas, and is a 2008 alumna of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. A deeply spiritual person, her name itself is a force of destiny. Takesha means highly favored, Meshé: messiah/savior, and Kizart: miraculous.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY Takesha Meshé Kizart has appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, MIDEM & Radio France, SWR Television, Baden Badener Philharmonie, The Metropolitan Opera Live HD Broadcast Intermission Feature, and many others, her exceptionally vivid portrayals include the title role of Tosca (Opera Australia, Opera North-UK, & The Dallas Opera); the title role of Madama Butterfly with Slovenian National Opera; the title role of Marie Victoire and Mimì in La bohème (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Both Margherita & Elena in Mefistofele (Opéra National de Montpellier); Judith in Bluebeard's Castle (Oper Köln); Donna Leonora in Il Trovatore (Staatsoper Stuttgart); Donna Leonora in La forza del destino (Caramoor International Music Festival & The Academy of Vocal Arts); Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari (Opera Orchestra of New York); Costanza in L'isola disabitata (Gotham Chamber Opera); The Duchess in Powder Her Face (Musikfest Bremen); Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra); Mendelssohn's Lobgesang (The Fort Worth Symphony) and Elijah (AVA); Wagner's Liebestod (Symphony in C); Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, the title role of Vanessa, Anna in Le Villi, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Rossini's Stabat Mater (AVA); Desdemona in Otello; Violetta La Traviata; Giorgetta in Il tabarro; the title roles of Donizetti's Maria di Rohan, Suor Angelica and Manon Lescaut; Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte; Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro; Hanna in The Merry Widow; Lià L'Enfant prodigue; Händel's Messiah; Dubois' Seven Last Words; and Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio. Further appearances include L'Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, WDR Broadcast Orchestra of Koeln, Koeln Philharmonie, Fort Worth Opera, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts,La Orquestra Filharmonica de Pilsen, Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, Duisberg Philharmonic Orchestra, Ocean City Pops Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, WRTI Radio, NPR Performance Today, PBS, & NBC's Today Show.

AWARDS Two years in a row Takesha Meshé Kizart has received nominations for Germany’s Opernwelt Award for “Female Singer of the Year: for Marie Victoire (2009) and Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle (2010), as well as Live Performance Australia’s Helpmann Award 2010 for “Best Female Performer in an Opera” (Tosca). She has received top awards from The Marian Anderson Historical Society, Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Classical Singer Magazine’s Young Artist Competition, Opera Index, The Caruso International Voice Competition, Guilds of The Dallas Opera, Connecticut Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Florida Grand Opera, The Oratorio Society of New York, Competizione dell'Opera, Neue Stimmen; and the Foundations of William Matheus Sullivan, Gerda Lissner, Liederkranz, Mario Lanza, Giulio Gari, Sergio Franchi, and Albanese-Puccini. Kizart was honored with Grand Prize at the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballé by the luminous Caballé herself. In the film The Verdian Voice, she was lauded by jury, media and the public as Grand Prize Winner of the prestigious Concorso Internazionale Voci Verdiane “Città di Busseto” as the next great Verdian Voice of her generation.

FUN FACTS (named by her cousin, Tolvish Menyon Morganfield, a child at the time)
 * Definition of Name: TAKESHA - highly favored, MESHÉ - messiah/savior, KIZART - miraculous

Born and raised in Chicago, IL and once lived in Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX and Philadelphia, PA
 * Home: Citizen of The USA... Resident of World Stage where EVERYWHERE IS HOME


 * Birthday: April 25


 * Mother: JoAnn Morganfield-Kizart-Williams


 * Father: Duccaner Kizart


 * Stepfather: Rev. Dr. Ezell Alexander Williams


 * Half Siblings: Shannon Kizart, Duccaner Kizart II, and Duccaner Kizart III

Tina Turner via Grandmother - Frankie Lee Barnes Morganfield
 * Famous Relatives: McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morganfield via Grandfather - Robert Morganfield and


 * Marital Status: Not married and no children, but welcomes a future marriage and children


 * First public performance: Age of 2 at St. Michael's Baptist Church - Chicago, IL

(named after Polish Patron Saint of Music)
 * Elementary School: St. Stanislaus Kostka School - Chicago, IL
 * Activities included: Girl Scouts; theatre; dance; with the support of her teacher, Sabrina Roy, she started her school's first choir and student council of which she was elected President; produced, directed, choreographed, designed, and starred as Dorothy in a premier all-school production of The Wiz

(namesake of prominent American Civil Rights leader and same alma mater of The Matrix creators Larry & Andy Wachowski, and our First Lady, Michelle Obama)
 * High School: Whitney M. Young Magnet High School - Chicago, IL
 * Activities included: music (choirs, solos, and jazz band's only lead vocalist); theatre/musicals (portrayed Cosette in a rare and critically acclaimed production of Les Miserables); dance; modeling and beauty pageants (trained at Barbizon); Young Lawyers Section of The American Bar Association; Future Business Leaders of America; Florida A&M Business Club; intern and later full-time employee of the Quaker Oats Company in the Human Relations and Marketing Departments

who exposed her to classical and operatic voice, helped procure her first classical voice teacher, and introduced many other musical resources and opportunities
 * Early Musical Influence: Flora Robinson, WYHS Music Teacher

(House Music Definition: Soul and Funk infused electronic dance music featuring powerhouse vocalism that originated in Chicago)
 * Early Musical Success: Recorded a House music club hit with legendary producer Jamie Principle entitled "Sanctified" during her adolescence


 * Classical Music Debut: Händel's Messiah during her adolescence at First Baptist Congregational Church - Chicago, IL

(same alma mater as Pat Boone, "Mean" Joe Greene, and Self-Help Expert, Dr. Phil McGraw)
 * College: University of North Texas Vocal Performance Major in Music - Denton, TX
 * Activities included: various types of music and music clubs, opera, theater, student council, advertising club, Chorus Member of The Dallas Opera, Chorus Member and Resident Artist of Fort Worth Opera, began a private voice studio teaching other singers


 * Artist in Residence: 2008 Alumnae of The Academy of Vocal Arts - Philadelphia, PA


 * First Professional Opera Contract: 2006 starring as The Duchess in Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face with Musikfest Bremen and Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie


 * Most widely notarized performance to date: Respighi's Marie Victoire with Deutsche Oper Berlin has been broadcast throughout the world (Recorded Release coming soon...)


 * Celebrities: Would love to meet and work with Oprah Winfrey, Wynton Marsalis, Quincy Jones, and Kanye West


 * Favorite Movie: The Wiz


 * Favorite Musical: Dreamgirls


 * Favorite Part of the Meal: Dessert


 * Favorite Vocalist: Ella Fitzgerald (they also share the same birthday)


 * Favorite Color: Gold


 * Favorite Sound: Silence


 * Favorite Poem: The Creation by James Weldon Johnson


 * Favorite Quote: "Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both USEFUL and PLEASANT, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it WELL. Then Youth will be Delightful, Old Age will bring Few Regrets, and LIFE will become a BEAUTIFUL SUCCESS." (Louisa May Alcott)


 * Favorite Scripture: "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and THAT my soul knows very well." (Psalm 139:14)

{Updated: 30 December 2010}