Early career: 1967–1976 Zannoth began her career on the concert stage in the 1960s with her early performances including singing the soprano solos in Handel's
Messiah with the
Cleveland Orchestra in a concert at
Thiel College and in performances with the symphony and chorus of
Muskingum College in 1967. On December 7, 1968, she performed the world premiere of
Warren Benson's song cycle for soprano and band
Shadow Wood at the convention for the Music Educator's Association of
Monroe County, New York, a work she later repeated at the 1969 New York State School Music Association conference in Buffalo, New York and with the
Eastman Wind Ensemble at the 1972 convention of the College Band Directors National Association. In November 1969, she was the soprano soloist in the Rochester Oratorio Society's presentation of Haydn's
The Creation with conductor Theodore Hollenbach and the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She repeated this work with the Corning Philharmonic Society in April 1970, and at Muskingum College in 1971. In 1971, Zannoth was a founding member of the New Arts Ensemble (NAE), a professional chamber music group based in Rochester that was dedicated to performing new music in seasons of chamber music concerts. That year she performed the world premiere of Joseph Packales's
An Allegory of War with the NAE. In April 1971, she made her professional opera debut with the Opera Theatre of Rochester (OTR) in the title role (Cio-Cio-San) of Puccini's
Madama Butterfly with Richard Taylor as Pinkerton and conductor
Taavo Virkhaus leading the
Rochester Philharmonic. That same month she was the soprano soloist in Bach's
St John Passion at the Rochester Bach Festival. In May 1971, Zannoth performed at
Temple B'rith Kodesh as the soprano soloist in the first performance in the United States of Volunio Gallichi and Francesco Drei's ceremonial music written for the 1786 dedication of the
Siena Synagogue. In July 1971, she sang with
Diane Curry in a program of
Rodgers and Hammerstein music with the
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (CSO), and soon after sang a program of music by
Richard Strauss with the CSO. In August 1971, she performed in Ibert's
Angélique with
Chautauqua Opera. In 1972, she was the guest soloist in the Rochester Philharmonic's concert "Ecology in Music". In March 1972, she performed Schubert's "
The Shepherd on the Rock" and the aria "L'amerò, sarò costante" from Mozart's
Il re pastore with the Rochester Philharmonic, and performed in concerts with the NAE at
Hobart and William Smith Colleges and
Xerox Auditorium. With the NAE she performed Schoenberg's monodrama
Pierrot lunaire in May 1972. In June and July 1972, she performed two concerts of Italian opera arias in return engagements with the CSO: one led by conductor
Walter Hendl and the other by
Louis Lane. In the summer of 1973, Zannoth appeared as Cio-Cio-San with the Singers Theater of Mahopac and subsequently as Mimì and Micaëla with that company. In May 1974, she starred in a production of
Carlisle Floyd's first opera,
Slow Dusk, at the
Emelin Theatre, and that same month won the East-West singing competition. In October 1974, she gave a recital at
Milligan College, and the following December she performed at
Carnegie Hall. In 1975, Zannoth became a member of
Goldovsky Opera Theater with whom she performed the roles of Serafina in Donizetti's
The Night Bell and Lia in Debussy's
The Prodigal Son at the
University of Michigan's Power Center for the Performing Arts. That same year she portrayed Cio-Cio-San with the Music Theatre of Ohio and the Countess in
The Marriage of Figaro with the Performing Arts Society of Westchester. In 1976, she returned to the OTR as Donna Elvira in
Don Giovanni and portrayed Cio-Cio-San with the
Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the
Kentucky Opera and
Opera Cleveland. It was notably the latter company's inaugural performance. In February 1976, she portrayed Anna Maurrant in Kurt Weill's
Street Scene at the
Manhattan School of Music, with
The New York Times critic
Raymond Ericson praising her performance as "particularly well handled". With clarinetist Larry Guy and pianist Dan Franklin Smith she sang
Ned Rorem's song cycle
Ariel at
Weill Recital Hall in March 1976.
Later career In January 1977, Zannoth portrayed Donna Anna to
John Reardon's Don Giovanni and Jacque Trussel's Don Ottavio with the Lansing Opera Guild (later the Opera Company of Mid-Michigan) at
Michigan State University. On March 19, 1977, she made her debut at the
New York City Opera (NYCO) as Musetta in
La bohème. Other roles she sang with the NYCO during her career included Nedda in Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci (1977, with Herman Malamood as Canio) and the Second Lady in Mozart's
The Magic Flute (1978). An NYCO performance of
Pagliacci with Zannoth was recorded live for national radio broadcast on November 27, 1977. In 1979 she portrayed Javotte in the NYCO's production of Massenet's
Manon with
Catherine Malfitano in the title role. In June 1977, Zannoth returned to
Carnegie Hall to perform
Ivana Marburger Themmen's song cycle
Mystic Trumpeter in a concert sponsored by the National Association of Composers, USA. She toured with the NYCO to the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles in December 1977.
Los Angeles Times critic Lewis Segal stated the following in his review: Chief novelty in the Saturday cast was Sherry Zannoth's Musetta, depicted as a woman of considerable intelligence in complete control of the spitfire facade adopted for Alcindoro. Singing the waltz song with unexpected simplicity, Zannoth saved the flouncing for her shoe charade and instead demonstrated the warmth and luster she can bring to music often tarnished with insensitivity. Zannoth concluded the year of 1977 performing as soprano soloist in Handel's
Messiah with the
Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. She then resumed performing with NYCO
La bohème cast in 1978 when
David Rendall took over the role of Rodolfo. She sang Musetta in Lansing in 1978 with
Nadine Secunde as Mimì, and that same year performed the role of Donna Anna to Claude Corbeil's Don Giovanni at the
Charlotte Opera. In the summer of 1978, she went on a concert tour with the
New Jersey Symphony which was then led by conductor Thomas Michalak. After this she returned to Rochester to once again appear as Butterfly and appeared as Micaëla in
Carmen in a production in New Jersey. She was also a featured soloists with the Erie Philharmonic in 1978. In 1979, Zannoth repeated the role of Micaëla at the
Toledo Opera with
Ann Howard in the title role, and returned to Donna Anna for her debut with the
Seattle Opera with Roderick Ristow as Don Giovanni. That same year she performed again with Opera Cleveland as Rosalinde in
Die Fledermaus in what
The Cleveland Press described as earning her "show-stopping applause". In March 1979, she gave a recital in the rotunda of the
Michigan State Capitol building. In June 1979, she returned to Lansing to appear as Gilda in Verdi's
Rigoletto with in the title role. In November 1979, she portrayed Konstanze in Mozart's
Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the
Jackson Municipal Auditorium with Opera/South. In 1980, Zannoth performed with the Asolo Opera (now the
Sarasota Opera) in Sarasota, Florida as Butterfly, and sang Musetta with both the
Spokane Symphony and
Opera Memphis. That same year she portrayed Donna Anna with
Mobile Opera with the
Mobile Press-Register praising her performance as "graceful and commanding", and highlighting her "dramatic range and vocal strength". In the summer of 1980 she appeared as Countess Almaviva at the
Glimmerglass Opera with Enrique Baquerizo as the Count. In October 1980, she performed the title role of Violetta in Verdi's
La traviata with the
Grand Rapids Symphony at
DeVos Performance Hall. Zannoth returned to Rochester as Rosalinde in January 1981 and following month returned to the NYCO as Micaëla. She made her debut at the
Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York City on March 26, 1981, in the minor role of one of the whores in Will's
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. In 1982, she performed Micaëla with
Opera Omaha, Antonia in Offenbach's
The Tales of Hoffmann with
Lake George Opera, and was the soprano soloist in Rossini's
Petite messe solennelle with the Cecilia Chamber Singers at
Harvard University's
Sanders Theatre. She was the featured soloist for the opening of the
International Symphony Orchestra's 26th season in November 1982, with conductor
Brian Jackson leading the concert. In December 1982, she performed with the
University Musical Society as a soloist in the
Messiah in a concert at the
University of Michigan in which she shared the soprano solos with a young
Bejun Mehta, then a boy soprano. She ended the year giving a recital at
The Phillips Collection art museum in Washington D.C. with pianist John Wisnunt.
The Washington Post review of her interpretation of Mozart's "Misera, dove son" and
hugo Wolf's
lieder was described as "lively and dramatic", with praise for her ability to give "space and tension to the phrasing". In 1983, Zannoth portrayed Amelia in Verdi's
Un ballo in maschera with the Cleveland Opera and performed leading roles at the
Teatro de Cristóbal Colón, Colombia's national theatre. In January 1984, she returned to the Metropolitan Opera for further performances of
Mahagonny, one of which was recorded for the
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts that aired nationally. Later that year she performed as Mimì with the Hollybush Opera Theatre of New Jersey with
Michael Sylvester as her Rodolfo. In 1985, she returned to Rochester to perform Countess Almaviva with the OTR, and portrayed Violetta in a Brooklyn staging of
La Traviata with tenor Edgardo Sensi as Alfredo. In August 1985, she sang the role of Rosina in a concert version of Eossini's
The Barber of Seville at the Fair Lawn Music Festival in New Jersey. The following October she made her debut at the
Wexford Festival Opera in the lead role of Jenny in
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.
The Daily Telegraph stated that "Zannoth seemed too phlegmatic, too anonymous to convey Jenny's peculiar allure, and her effective but shrill voice tended to jar as the evening progressed".
The Guardian review was much more positive, stating she sang with "thrilling panache". Zannoth moved to
West Germany and was active in opera houses there in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1987, she portrayed Verdi's Violetta to Walter MacNeil's Alfredo with the Opera Company of Mid-Michigan (OCMM). She returned to the OCMM the following year in the title role of Puccini's
Tosca. In 1989, she sang the role of Cio-Cio-San in
Madama Butterfly in Hong Kong, and repeated that role with the Oakland Opera in California in 1990. After this she toured Europe, Asia, and the Middle East with a group called Ambassadors of Opera, and performed roles in productions of
Ariadne auf Naxos by R. Strauss, Puccini's
Manon Lescaut, and Verdi's
Falstaff. In 1994 and 1995 she was the soprano soloist in the Newtown Chamber Orchestra's performances of
Messiah. In 1995, Zannoth was the soprano soloist in Verdi's Requiem with the Long Island Masterworks Chorus and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra at
Carnegie Hall, and in 1995, she gave a recital at the municipal building of
Lower Makefield Township, Pennsylvania. In 1996, she performed the role of Lady Macbeth in Verdi's
Macbeth with the
Des Moines Metro Opera, a company premiere conducted and staged by Robert L. Larsen. The cast included Kimm Julian as Macbeth and Matthew Lau as Banquo. That same year she was the soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem with the
Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra. In 1997, she portrayed Donna Anna to Gary Martin's Don Giovanni at the
New Jersey State Opera. Other operas she performed in during her career included Verdi's
Aida,
Elektra by R. Strauss, Wagner's
Parsifal, and Britten's
Peter Grimes. In 2006, she gave a recital of lieder by
Robert Schumann at the First Unitarian Society of Westchester. In 2009, she performed a
cabaret tribute concert to
Fanny Brice and
Molly Picon at the Mahwah Public Library in New Jersey. == Educator, sacred vocalist, and later life==