Stephen Totter was an American

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. He was known for his formidable stage presence combined with excellent diction and interpretation. Born on May 3, 1963, Totter earned both a Bachelors and master's degree in French horn performance from West Virginia University and Duquesne University respectively. While studying the horn he was dually active as a singer, earning the title role in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" at the age of nineteen. He performed the title role in the premier recording of

Leonardo Balada Leonardo Balada Ibáñez (born September 22, 1933) is a Catalan American classical composer, who is noted for his operas and orchestral works. Life Balada was born in Barcelona, Spain. After studying piano at the Conservatori Superior de Mús ...

's ''Torquemada'' for baritone soloist,

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. Totter's other roles include Papageno in ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that includ ...

'', Guglielmo in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'', and Count Almaviva in ''

Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

''. Totter is also known as an avid recitalist giving performances throughout the country and also as an orchestral soloist. Until his death, he was an artist-lecturer in voice at Carnegie Mellon University

Stephen had a sports connection as he was related to former major league relief pitcher

Mike Fetters Michael Lee Fetters (born December 19, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach. He is currently the bullpen coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for eight teams during his 16-year career as ...

. They are first cousins. Totter died on May 25, 2019.

References

*Stephen Totter o
The Database of Recorded American Music
American operatic baritones 1963 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American male opera singers 21st-century American male opera singers Carnegie Mellon University faculty {{US-opera-singer-stub