Born in
Baltimore, Maryland, Kotoski studied at the
Manhattan School of Music and then entered the Young Artist Program at the Metropolitan Opera. She made her professional opera debut at the Met as Poussette in
Jules Massenet's
Manon on 22 September 1987 with
Catherine Malfitano in the title role. She sang several more roles at the Met over the next couple years including Giannetta in
Gaetano Donizetti's ''
L'elisir d'amore'' with
Dawn Upshaw,
Ruth Ann Swenson, and
Kathleen Battle alternating as Adina (1988–1989), the Dew Fairy in
Humperdinck's
Hänsel und Gretel (1988–1989), and one of the unborn children in
Richard Strauss's
Die Frau ohne Schatten. In 1988 she sang the title role in
Handel's
Partenope with
Opera Omaha and in 1989 she sang the role of Sophie in Massenet's
Werther with the
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. In 1990 she sang the role of Walter in
Alfredo Catalani's
La Wally with the
Opera Orchestra of New York. That same year she won the
Young Concert Artists International Auditions which led to her New York City recital debut at the
92nd Street Y on 13 November 1990 accompanied by pianist Warren Jones and
flautist Eugenia Zukerman. her debut with
Calgary Opera as Sussana in Mozart's
Le nozze di Figaro, and she sang the
soprano solos in Mozart's
Mass in C minor at the
Mostly Mozart Festival. That same year she won Orchestra New England's soloist prize and she made her debut with the
Canadian Opera Company as Marzelline in
Beethoven's
Fidelio. In 1992 she sang the role of Barbarina in a concert version of Mozart's
Le nozze di Figaro with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of
Daniel Barenboim and she sang the role of Galatea in
Handel's
Acis and Galatea with the
Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under conductor
Gerard Schwarz. In 1993 Kotoski sang the soprano solo in
Gustav Mahler's
Symphony No. 4 with the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at
Carnegie Hall. By this time Kotoski was already living with her future husband, operatic
tenor Neil Shicoff, and she gave birth to their son Alexander in December 1992. The couple eventually married in the spring of 1997. That same year she joined the
Vienna State Opera where she sang for the 1993–1994 season in such roles as Pamina in
The Magic Flute, Oscar in
Giuseppe Verdi's
Un ballo in maschera, and Musetta in
Giacomo Puccini's
La bohème. During this time she also sang the role of Gilda in Verdi's
Rigoletto with the
Opéra national du Rhin in
Strasbourg, the role of Oscar at the
Opéra Bastille in Paris and Servilia in "La clemenza di Tito" with Teatro Real in Madrid. In 1994 Kotoski joined the roster at
Zurich Opera where she sang in many roles through 2000, including Pamina, Sophie, Gilda, Juliette, Musetta, Lisabetta in
Umberto Giordano's
La cena delle beffe, and Adele in
Die Fledermaus. In 1998 she sang Musetta at the
Bavarian State Opera, Jemmy in
Gioachino Rossini's
William Tell at the Vienna State Opera, and Lisa in a concert version of
Vincenzo Bellini's
La sonnambula in
Munich opposite
Edita Gruberova as Amina. In 2000 she sang Zdenka opposite
Cheryl Studer's Arabella at Opera Zurich. After a 14-year professional career, Kotoski retired from the operatic stage in 2001 to concentrate on her family. ==Discography==