"Susan Hellman offered a thoughtful, dramatic reading of the soprano solo. Her voice is at once operatic, yet clearly intelligible, providing the music and poetry with both direction and precision"
-The Classical Voice of North Carolina, Harrison Russin
BIO
Soprano Susan Hellman Spatafora exudes a “youthful freshness combined with an ardent sense of phrasing and a thrilling top register.” Known for her winning interpretations of Puccini's soprano heroines, Ms. Spatafora has performed with companies such as Palm Beach Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Sarasota Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Central City Opera, and South Florida Lyric Opera, among others. Her featured roles have included Micaëla in Carmen, Mimì in La Bohème, Clotilde in Norma, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Anna in Puccini’s Le Villi. Playing the title role in the 2017 Naxos DVD release of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, Joshua Rosenblum of Opera News declared that Spatafora "has the perfect yearningly optimistic coloring—golden and radiant..."
She has been recognized for her rich soprano voice as a prize winner in competitions including the Florida Grand Opera Young Patronesses of the Opera competition, the Palm Beach Opera International Vocal Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters Voice Competition. A frequent art song recitalist and concert soloist, Spatafora regularly performs with the Tampa Oratorio Singers; recent works include Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Mass in C minor, Bach Magnificat, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem, and others. When she is not performing, Spatafora serves as the Associate Director of Development for the St. Petersburg Opera Co. as well as working with IlluminArts, an Art Song and vocal chamber music series based in Miami, Florida.
VIDEO
Select Performances
8-May-20 Governess - The Turn of the Screw (Britten) IlluminArts Miami
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7-May-20 Governess - The Turn of the Screw (Britten) IlluminArts Miami
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5-Apr-20 Soprano Soloist - Mass in B Minor (Bach) Tampa Oratorio Singers
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9-Feb-20 Micaëla - Carmen (Bizet) Opera Tampa
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7-Feb-20 Micaëla - Carmen (Bizet) Opera Tampa
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18-Jan-20 Mimì - La Bohème (Puccini) Imperial Symphony Orchestra
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10-Dec-19 Soprano Soloist - Messiah (Handel) Tampa Oratorio Singers
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9-Dec-19 Soprano Soloist - Messiah (Handel) Tampa Oratorio Singers
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3-Nov-19 Soprano Soloist - Elijah (Mendelssohn) Tampa Oratorio Singers
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6-Oct-19 Performing Artist Series Concert All Saints Church Lakeland
21-May-19 Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica (Puccini) St. Petersburg Opera Co.
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19-May-19 Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica (Puccini) St. Petersburg Opera Co.
17-May-19 Suor Angelica - Suor Angelica (Puccini) St. Petersburg Opera Co.
17-Mar-19 Leïla - Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) Opera Tampa
15-Mar-19 Leïla - Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) Opera Tampa
22-Feb-19 Opera Guild Luncheon performance with Samuel Hall, tenor St. Petersburg Opera Guild
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21-Feb-19 Senior Luncheon performance with Samuel Hall, tenor Congregation Schaarai Zedek
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17-Feb-19 Valentine's Day Luncheon Opera Orlando
19-Nov-18 Seasonal Sparkle St. Petersburg Opera Co.
18-Nov-18 Seasonal Sparkle St. Petersburg Opera Co.
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11-Dec-18 Soprano Soloist - Messiah (Handel) Tampa Oratorio Singers
09-Dec-18 Soprano Soloist - Messiah (Handel) Tampa Oratorio Singers
18-Nov-18 Soprano Soloist - 50th Anniversary Concert Tampa Oratorio Singers
08-Nov-18 Cocktails with the Maestro: 7 Very Unwise Moments in Opera St. Petersburg Opera Co.
04-Nov-18 Straz Live Opera Tampa
02-Nov-18 Mornings with the Maestro: 7 Very Unwise Moments in Opera St. Petersburg Opera Co.
01-Nov-18 Evenings with the Maestro: 7 Very Unwise Moments in Opera St. Petersburg Opera Co.
28-Oct-18 Soprano Soloist - Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) and Neue Liebeslieder Walzer (Brahms) The Dranoff International 2 Piano Foundation
07-Oct-18 Soprano Soloist - Missa in Angustiis (Franz Josef Haydn) Tampa Oratorio Singers
25-Mar-18 Soprano Soloist - Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (Johannes Brahms) Tampa Oratorio Singers
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