Neil Shicoff American opera singer-tenor Date of Birth: 02.06.1949 Country: USA

Biography of Neil Shicoff

Neil Shicoff, an American operatic tenor of Jewish descent and cantor, is known for his lyrical tenor voice and emotional acting. He was born on June 2, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York. Shicoff studied at the Juilliard School of Music and received guidance from his father, cantor Sidney Shicoff, and other teachers, including Franco Corelli in the early 1980s.

Shicoff began his singing career in small theaters in New York before attending music school. He performed the role of Don Jose in "Carmen" at the Amato Opera and took on small roles at Juilliard. He also participated in a summer program at the Santa Fe Opera in 1973. His professional debut as a leading tenor in a major opera house occurred in 1975 when he portrayed the title role in Verdi's "Ernani" in Cincinnati under the direction of James Levine.

In 1976, Shicoff made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi," again conducted by Levine. He was subsequently invited to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in "Rigoletto," "La Bohème," "Der Rosenkavalier," and "Werther," with the role of Werther becoming one of his signature roles. He went on to perform in major opera houses in the United States and Europe, receiving excellent reviews and recording some of his roles.

Interestingly, Shicoff experienced stage fright during his career, leading to the cancellation of several performances. He also gained a reputation as a perfectionist who meticulously studied and prepared for each role vocally and dramatically. In 1978, Neil Shicoff married lyric soprano Judith Haddon, another Juilliard graduate.

After the death of his mother in 1984, Shicoff struggled with emotional problems that affected his vocal abilities and caused extreme anxiety before performances. During this period, he frequently canceled performances, which had an impact on his reputation by the end of the 1980s. He performed at the Metropolitan Opera for two years but left the United States in 1991, seeking to avoid the stress exacerbated by newspaper headlines about his divorce and the custody battle with his ex-wife over their daughter. He referred to this period as his "European exile."

He spent three years in Berlin and then lived in Zurich, performing throughout Europe and giving some performances in Buenos Aires. Gradually, he rebuilt his reputation as a reliable performer. He appeared in major opera houses and concert halls worldwide, including the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bavarian State Opera, Zurich Opera House, and many others.

By 1997, Shicoff and Haddon finally divorced, allowing Neil to marry soprano Dawn Kotoski, with whom he had been living since 1990, and to reconnect with his daughter Aliza. He returned to the Metropolitan Opera and received favorable reviews for his portrayal of Lensky in "Eugene Onegin." In total, Shicoff has appeared on the Metropolitan Opera stage almost 200 times in 20 different roles.

In addition to his acclaimed performances as Werther and Lensky, Neil Shicoff's most notable and successful roles include the lead parts in "Tales of Hoffman" and "Peter Grimes," Eleazar in "La Juive," as well as a wide repertoire of French and Italian lyrical tenor roles. In addition to opera productions, Shicoff has performed at numerous festivals and concert stages, including with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 2011, Neil Shicoff received the Russian "Golden Mask" award for Best Male Role for his portrayal of Eleazar in "La Juive."