MATTHEW LATA, Associate Professor and Stage Director of the Florida State Opera, joined the FSU faculty in 2002. His first professional production was Otello for the Miami Opera in 1988. His repertoire now includes over a hundred operas ranging from standards to comedies to the Baroque and the 20th century. Notable successes include Weisgall's Six Characters in Search of an Author for the Chicago Lyric's Center for American Artists, the World Premiere of Anton Coppola's Sacco and Vanzetti in Tampa, Don Giovanni for The Washington Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Der Rosenkavalier for the Portland Opera, a coproduction of Die Zauberflöte for the opera companies of Honolulu, Kansas City, Columbus, Edmonton, and Arizona, La Fille du Regiment for the New York City Opera's National Tour, and many others. He has collaborated with artists including Carlo-Maria Giulini, Placido Domingo, Sir Andrew Davis, and Eva Marton.

A native of Iowa, Mr. Lata studied American History at Brandeis University and worked as a Congressional Aide before moving towards opera. With grant support from the National Opera Institute, he studied with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Frank Corsaro and Lotfi Mansouri and gained production experience with the Orchestre de Paris as well as the major American houses. He has taught at the University of Missouri/Kansas City and guested at Northwestern and Yale. He is married to the noted mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella.