+++
discipline = "Baritone"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1668566470/media/2022/11/ChrisDragoFistonich_hjardo.jpg"
primary_image_credit = ""
related_companies = []
slug = "chris-drago-fistonich"
title = "Chris Drago Fistonich"
website = "https://www.chrisfistonich.com/"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Instagram"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://www.instagram.com/chrisfistonich/?hl=en"
[[social_media]]
platform = "Twitter"
template = "social-media"
url = "https://twitter.com/ChrisFistonich"

+++
Baritone Chris Fistonich, currently residing in Princeton, New Jersey, is a PhD Immunologist and cybersecurity researcher turned opera singer. Chris has been hailed as a "voluminous, beefy baritone" with "supple variation of dynamics" (South Florida Classical Review), and as "simply great" (Art Burst Miami).

Upcoming engagements include Escamillo (_Carmen_) with Music on Site, and Ben Upthegrove (_The Telephone_) and Mr. Gobineau (_The Medium_) with Regina Opera.

Recent engagements include Count Danilo Danilovitsch (_The Merry Widow_) with Delaware Valley Opera Company, Vodník (_Rusalka_) with the Utah Vocal Arts Academy, Marcello (_La Bohème_) with Moon River Opera, Peter (_Hänsel und Gretel_) with Westminster Opera Theatre, Pandolfe (_Cendrillon_) with Miami Music Festival, and Chorus (_The Hours_ - World Premiere) with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Chris received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2022.

Originally hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Chris received his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA in 2012. During that time, he developed an unbridled love of music, singing under the direction of Donald Neuen.

After graduating from UCLA, Chris attended Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in Immunobiology in 2018 and publishing his research in academic journals. While at Yale, Chris sang with the Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale's touring professional chamber choir, performing under David Hill, Simon Carrington, and Masaaki Suzuki, while studying voice with Dr. Dann Coakwell. Notable past non-opera vocal engagements include Christus (Bach St. John Passion) with the Princeton University Glee Club and The English Concert, as well as countless major choral works with the nation's top orchestras, including Mahler's Symphony No.8 with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Bach’s B Minor Mass with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra.