Pittman-JenningS, David

Pittman-JenningS, David , American baritone; b. Duncan, Okla., Dec. 13, 1946. He studied voice with Elisabeth Parham and took his B.M. cum laude in oboe (1969) at the Univ. of Okla., and then his Masters degree in vocal performance (1974) at Calif. State Univ. in Northridge. He continued vocal training with Parham in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Paris until 1998. In 1977 he made his operatic debut as Mozart’s Count at the Graz Opera, where he sang until 1979. From 1979 to 1982 he sang at the Bremen Opera. In 1982 he appeared as Fernando at the Paris Opéra. Following his debut as a soloist in Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen in Bordeaux in 1983, he made his recital debut in Nice in 1984. From 1984 to 1986 he sang at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam. In 1987 he was engaged as Wozzeck at the Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg, a role he sang in Parma in 1989. In the latter year, he also portrayed Schoenberg’s Moses in Lyons. After singing Germont at the Frankfurt am Main Opera in 1991, he made his first appearance at the Vienna State Opera in 1992 as Mandryka, a role he reprised at the Semper Opera in Dresden in 1994. In the latter year, he also was engaged as Pizzaro at the Berlin State Opera, as Don Alfonso at the Hamburg State Opera, and as Renato at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. In 1995 he again portrayed Wozzeck at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and Schoenberg’s Moses at the Netherlands Opera, and then repeated the latter role at the Salzburg Festival in 1996. In 1997 he appeared as Wozzeck at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, S.C., and as Mandryka at the Santa Fe Opera. He sang Jochanaan at the Berlin State Opera and Scarpia in Verona in 1998, and then Rigoletto at the Leipzig Opera and Frank in Die tote stadt at the Teatro Colón in 1999. On Oct. 16, 1999, he made his N.Y. debut in Dallapiccola’s opera Il Prigioniero in a concert performance with the Montreal Sym. Orch. under Dutoit’s direction. As a concert artist, he sang with many orchs. in Europe in an expansive repertoire ranging from Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, and Berlioz to Hindemith, Walton, and Zender.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire