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Born: October 30, 1942 - Wichita, Kansas, USA
Died: December 31, 2018 - Coffeyville, Kansas, USA |
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The American bass-baritone, David Lewis Evitts, was born to Robert G. and Evelyn L. (Hoggatt) Evitts in Wichita, Kansas. At a young age his family moved to Coffeyville where he attended school and graduated from Field Kindley Memorial High School. At an early age he showed a great interest in music. As a young boy, in the Methodist Church where he grew up he started singing solo's. Wearing the uniformed pink choir robe as a young boy and not being of the adult stature, they would stand him on an orange crate to sing. He starting sing soprano in a boys' choir and sang on the radio from Wichita. His interest grew and after completing high school he went on to study at Pittsburgh State University in Kansas, where he played violin in the orchestra and began to study voice seriously as a bass baritone. His professional debut was with the national collegiate chorale that performed in Europe on an USO tour, as well as a summer job with the Funtastics, a group that sang and waited tables in a lounge and restaurant in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod. That summer introduced him to Mark Person and John Moriarty who were influential in his studies in the opera program at the Conservatory in Boston. He won 2nd Prize in the Metropolitan Opera's New England Regionals Auditions in 1969.
David Evitts remained in Boston for 10 years. While in Boston he sang with Emmanuel Music at Emmanuel Church, MIT Choral Society, Masterworks Chorale, Boston Cecilia, Handel and Haydn Society, and with Sarah Caldwell at the Boston Opera and just about every other organization in town. After leaving Boston he pursued a busy career in American regional opera in New York where he made occasional performances in Europe. He was one of the funniest men ever, very generous, warm and energetic; and one of the finest singing actors ever.
David Evitts enjoyed wide-ranging career as a soloist on orchestral, ballet, and operatic stages, as well as recordings. Since his debut in 1994 as the Sacristan in Tosca, he continued his association with the Metropolitan Opera in productions of Andrea Chénier, La traviata, and The Merry Widow. He performed the role of Rossini’s Bartolo in the Met’s Summer Parks Concerts, and also toured with the company’s production of Tosca in Japan. He portrayed W.A. Mozart's Bartolo in the Peter Sellars production of Le nozze di Figaro, seen in New York, Paris, Vienna, and on PBS’s ‘Great Performances. David's parents were able to see their son perform in Coffeyville when he returned to a sold out recital. Several years later his mother who had not ever been on an airplane nor having ever really traveled, flew to New York to see David perform with Pavarotti in Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. Some later highlights of his career included Faninal in Washington Opera’s Der Rosenkavalier; the Marquis in Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites at Tulsa Opera; and a return to the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for their production of George Frideric Handel’s Radamisto. He joined Boston Lyric Oprera (BLO) in 2000-2001 season as Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni. He returned after singing the title role in Falstaff; Frére Laurent in Roméo et Juliette; and Pangloss/Voltaire in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide.
David Lewis Evitts of Coffeyville, Kansas, passed away at the age of 76, on December 31, 2018 at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center unexpectedly. Some of his biggest fans were his brother, Donald G. Evitts of Overland Park, Kansas; sister, Judith A. (Evitts) Furry of Glenpool, Oklahoma; uncle, James Hoggatt and wife Darlene of Coffeyville, Kansas as well as a host of cousins and extended family. David's last bow also leaves behind a whole community of performers who were very near and dear to his heart and his life accomplishments. He is preceded in death by his parents. David's final wishes were for cremation to take place under the direction of Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel of Coffeyville, and his remains to be scattered in a private service at one of his favorite places as a child. The family sees it only fitting for David's legacy to continue through donations that can be made in David's name to the AGMA Relief Fund American Guild of Musical Artist, New York City.. |
