A Step Beyond A Directory Listing

RECOGNITION AROUND TOWN MUSIC FIGURES

Video created&produced by La CoffeeMelodie Suite©2010

In the movie: Ralph Schatzki in his Oratorio Samples
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The Baritone in Many Roles

Ralph Schatzki has been a lawyer and a teacher of high school mathematics. Yet, through his whole life he has identified himself through his singing.

In fact, whenever he pursued other interests he never allowed singing to disappear from his life. In college he took studio voice lessons for three years. This was his first real opportunity to follow his heart and engage in music full-time, though he was eventually persuaded by well-meaning- yet ignorant- people that he would be better off with an academic degree. Similarly, when in law school- another endeavor he undertook in part to respond to those who felt it would be better for him to have a real degree- he took private lessons, and also found time to engage in a music festival in San Antonio. In fact, taking part in this was more important to him than attending his own law school graduation- one at which his own father had agreed to come and speak as an honored guest!

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After becoming a member of the Connecticut Bar he finally spent several years focusing primarily on his music. He attended the Hartt School of Music and performed many lead roles there. He met his wife onstage in La Boheme, had his collar pop off onstage in Madame Butterfly, and nearly caught on fire in The Rake's Progress. It was an exciting time. He was then contracted to participate in apprentice programs with the opera companies of Miami, Sarasota, and Chautauqua - where he was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Grant for Young Singers. By the time he and his family moved to Thailand he had an impressive list of roles to his credit, including (Rossini's) Figaro, Schaunard, Junius, Sharpless, De Bretigny, Nick Shadow, Elder McLean, Marullo, and Monterone.

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Once overseas, he took a job as a high school mathematics instructor. Yet, in keeping with his past, he and his wife also opened P and R Productions and Voice Studio, and he performed solos and leading roles with the biggest performance organizations in Bangkok. He was also hired to sing in Malaysia and Singapore, and during this period he added to his repertoire the roles of Don Giovanni, Scarpia, Amonasro, the Sprecher, and others.