Paulo Szot is a Brazilian opera actor and singer (baritone) of Polish origin, who graduated from the Jagiellonian University. He has been presented with the Tony Award as well as the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award.
Paulo Szot was born in 1969 in São Paulo and grew up in Ribeirão Pires (Brazil). His parents were Polish emigrants who left their homeland for South America after the Second World War. At the age of five Paulo Szot started learning to play the piano. Then he took dancing and violin lessons.
In 1988 after passing the school leaving exam, Paulo Szot went to Poland and enrolled at the Jagiellonian University, where he studied at the Institute of Polish Diaspora and then at the Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.
He initially performed with the Nowa Huta ensemble, but after two years, encouraged by Prof. Stanisław Hadyma he joined the Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble. In Upper Silesia, he took singing lessons from Prof. Janina Kuszyk-Kuszyńska, a soloist of the Silesia Opera in Bytom.
In 1995, encouraged by Luciano Pavarotti, he came back to Brazil, where he devoted himself entirely to opera career.
In 1997 he made his opera debut in The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini in Paulo Eiró Theatre (São Paulo). Since that time he has performed in great operas all over the world, including Europe – in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulon, Brussels, Milan and Barcelona, the USA – in New York, Detroit, Boston, Jacksonville and Palm Beach, and South America – in Brazil, Columbia, Chile and Argentina.
In 2003 and 2004 he sang in Carmen (New York City Opera, USA). His European debut took place in 2004, when he performed in Eugene Onegin (Opéra de Marseille, France).
In 2008 Paulo Szot made his debut on Broadway as Emile de Becque in South Pacific (Lincoln Center Theater). For this role, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He is the first Brazilian actor to be thus distinguished.
In 2008 he received Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.
He was also presented with the Medal for Merit to Culture "Gloria Artis", conferred by the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
From 2008-2009 Paulo Szot performed in New York Philharmonic concerts conducted by Marvin Hamlish, together with Lisa Minnelli.
In 2010 he sang a new production of The Nose by Nikolai Gogol, composed by Dmitri Shostakovich and conducted by Valery Gergiev (Metropolitan Opera, New York). He also performed with the New York Pops orchestra in Lerner and Lowe's programme.
2011 was a very busy year for Paulo Szot. His performances included Guillemo in Così fan tutte (Palais Garnier, Paris) as well as Escamilla in Carmen and Lescauta in Jules Massenet's Manon (Metropolitan Opera, New York). He also appeared on stage at a concert with Deborah Voigt and Collegiate Chorale (Carnegie Hall, New York).
During the years 2010-2012 he sang in the American Songbook Series (Allen Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center) and in a solo concert "An Evening with Paulo Szot" (Cafe Carlyle, New York).
In 2013 Paulo Szot made his Italian debut on the stage of Teatro di Roma and Teatro alla Scala di Milano. In the same year he was nominated to MAC Awards for his cabaret performances.
Currently Paulo Szot lives in New York and performs in the most prestigious opera theatres all over the world.
Text based on:
http://pauloszot.com/
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Szot
http://www.tygodnikprzeglad.pl/podbic-broadway/
Pictures from:
https://www.facebook.com/pauloszot
