Patti Graetz

Style: Opera; Classical; Musical Theatre

Title: Artistic Director/Principal Conductor ProMusica AZ Chorale & Orchestra

Bio:

With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Patti Graetz is skilled as a singer, choral conductor, voice and piano teacher, vocal coach for musical theater and opera, worship leader, pianist and organist. She is in her fourth season as the Artistic Director/Principal Conductor for ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra.

Born and raised in Texas, Patti studied for her Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where she was a soloist in the Concordia Choir under the direction of Paul J Christiansen. She minored in piano and organ.

She has sung leading roles with major opera companies including Houston Grand Opera and Arizona Opera and has sung numerous solo recitals and performed as soprano soloist with symphony orchestras in the US and in Australia.

In Phoenix, in addition to having a busy teaching studio and directing church choirs, she sang professionally with Music Theater of Arizona, Herberger Headliners, Opera-tunity and The Royal Renaissance Singers. Patti sang in over 1,000 performances for more than 100,000 audience members.

In 2003, she was appointed head of the vocal department at the Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics for its inaugural year. She successfully designed and implemented curriculum based on Arizona State Standards with an emphasis in musical theater performance.

Prior to that, she was head of the vocal department at the Arizona School for the Arts from 1998 – 2002 during which time she transformed the choirs into award-winning a cappella ensembles, was musical director for the theater department and taught beginning acting. She also served as choir director, praise and worship leader and organist at two large churches in Phoenix. From 1991- 2006 Patti also directed the choir for Temple Beth Israel’s High Holy Days.

Patti moved to Australia in June of 2004, made her Australian debut at Melbourne’s Opera in the Market in 2005 and starred at Opera in the Alps in Beechworth in 2006. These high-profile events attract audiences of more than 6,000 people. She returns every year to give master classes for the Opera Scholars Australia program as part of the Opera in the Alps choral school. 30 aspiring young singers ages 18 – 28 attend an intensive week of instruction in vocal technique and repertoire culminating in a concert of arias and art songs.

In addition to singing professionally while in Australia, Patti taught privately, conducted a 50-voice community choir, a youth choir and sang on the worship team at her church.

Patti returned to the Phoenix area in 2012 and re-established her music career in the US. With feet on two continents, she continues teaching, performing and conducting. She returns to Australia several times a year to give master classes in Bel Canto singing and to lecture in the care and health of the singing voice for the speech pathology department at Charles Sturt University in Australia.

She currently resides in Glendale Arizona and is accepting new students in voice and piano.

Voice Type: Soprano

Music Styles Taught: Opera; Classical; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I have a wait-list for private lessons; I am currently accepting private students; I am available as a clinician or presenter

Contact Information