photo: Sophocles Alexiou

Fred Plotkin leads a varied career in which he is a universally recognized expert in his fields of specialization. Whether it is opera, classical music, gastronomy, wine, or anything related to Italy, Plotkin is much sought-after for his knowledge and his ability to share it. He is the author of nine books, and has written for dozens of leading publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Opera News, Gourmet, Newsweek, GQ, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Gastronomica, Saveur, and magazines in Britain, Germany, Italy, and elsewhere.

    His work is considered definitive. In an article about Michelangelo in the New York Times on January 21, 2003, he was called "an Italy expert." In a “Public Lives” profile in the same newspaper, on August 30, 2002, Plotkin was described as "one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: music and the food of Italy." In the same publication, on May 11, 2006, it was written that "Fred is a New Yorker, but has the soul of an Italian."

    He has worked in opera and classical music for more than 35 years. This included production work at the opera companies of Bologna and Verona while a student, followed by a two-year stint as a stage director at La Scala, Milan, working as an assistant to Giorgio Strehler. [This work was partially underwritten by a Fulbright Scholarship.] Then he was Performance Manager of the Metropolitan Opera for 5 years, responsible for running all theater operations at every performance. Later he worked as a consultant for the National Endowment of the Arts, which brought him to many opera companies, including those of Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Minneapolis, He had an extended consultancy with the Palm Beach Opera, which involved restructuring the company, bringing fiscal discipline, redirecting artistic policy and, most especially, negotiating the company’s very first union contract, with the American Federation of Musicians. He teaches and lectures on operatic topics for the Metropolitan Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Los Angeles, and others, and writes articles and program notes for the Met, Chicago, Santa Fe, and Los Angeles Operas and the New York Philharmonic. He also lectures regularly on opera, classical music and Italian topics at the Smithsonian Institution, and has also spoken at the Juilliard School, Columbia University, NYU, Caltech, the University of Minnesota, at the Salzburg Festival and all over Italy. He is a popular guest on the intermission features on the Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, and many programs on National Public Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, the BBC, and RAI. In January 2006 he broadcasted from Austria for NPR during the festivities surrounding the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. In August 2008, he broadcasted from Torre del Lago, Italy to coincide with observances the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth.

    The University of Wisconsin selected Fred as its First Distinguished Alumni Lecturer, which brought him to his Alma Mater for a residency in November 2007 in which he spoke and gave 20 lectures at many departments of the university.

    His best-selling book, OPERA 101: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LEARNING AND LOVING OPERA  (Hyperion, 1994) is the standard text in North America for learning opera. CLASSICAL MUSIC 101: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LEARNING AND LOVING CLASSICAL MUSIC (Hyperion, 2002) has already achieved similar status, and has received foreign editions in Britain, Japan, and China. Plotkin recorded both "101" books for audio versions released in Summer 2004. He was the opera consultant on the film “Moonstruck.”   

    Studying and attending opera with Fred Plotkin at the Metropolitan Opera was listed in  a book as being among “100 Vacations to Enrich Your Life,”  (by Pam Grout; National Geographic Books; 2007). He has interviewed (before large audiences or in print), many of the leading figures in opera and classical music. A partial list may be found below.

                           

    Plotkin is equally well-known for his knowledge and writing on Italian topics. He is often referred to as the Italy expert other so-called Italy experts go to for definitive information on everything Italian. His ITALY FOR THE GOURMET TRAVELER (Little, Brown 1996; 5th edition published by Kyle Books, 2010), quickly established itself as the most complete guide to 504 Italian cities. In this book, Plotkin introduces readers to the real Italy, presenting an accurate and profound view of the nation that most other English-speaking writers fail to achieve. Italians themselves use this book to discover the treasures of their culinary heritage that even most of them do not know about. His other Italian books include LA TERRA FORTUNATA: THE SPLENDID FOOD AND WINE OF FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA (Broadway Books, 2001; James Beard Award finalist); RECIPES FROM PARADISE: LIFE AND FOOD ON THE ITALIAN RIVIERA (which the New York Times called the best cookbook of 1997; IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award finalist);  ITALY TODAY; THE BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOK (with Lorenza De’Medici; Collins, 1998, James Beard Award finalist), and THE AUTHENTIC PASTA BOOK (Simon & Schuster, 1985).  [Another food book, EATING HEALTHY FOR A HEALTHY BABY (with Dana Cernea, M.D.; Crown, 1994) is intended for pregnant women who want to maximize their nutritional intake.]

    He has cooked frequently on local TV shows across the US and national programs featuring Mario Batali, Katie Couric, Kathie Lee Gifford, Donna Hanover, Sara Moulton, and David Rosengarten. Fred has spoken and been a judge at the Culinary Institute of America, Vinitaly (the largest wine fair in the world), B.A.V.I. (one of the most important panels in Italy), and many more schools and conferences.

    Plotkin is now writing IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MICHELANGELO: A TRAVELER’S BIOGRAPHY, a book about the incomparable artist and sculptor, which will be published by Bloomsbury. After that, he will write WINE 101: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LEARNING AND LOVING WINE, to be published by Hyperion.

    Fred Plotkin is a very popular speaker and lecturer whose appearances cover all the topics he specializes in, as well as many other subjects that capture his fancy. He has worked very frequently with the Smithsonian Institution, leading seminars in Washington as well as intensive study programs in other cities on topics in which he specializes. Cities for these have included New York, Paris, Verona, Venice, Bologna, and Milan. For twenty years, he gave an annual lecture on the arts at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. He has also given more than 500 lectures at museums, universities, civic organizations, cruise ships, private clubs, and corporations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Here are details of the venues where, and people with whom, Fred Plotkin has worked:

BROADCAST MEDIA

RADIO: Programs on NPR (All Things Considered; the Leonard Lopate Show; Morning Edition; Performance Today; Soundcheck; The Splendid Table; Studio 360; Travel with Rick Steves; Weekend Edition); Dozens of appearances on the intermission features of the Metropolitan Opera international radio broadcasts; Many appearances on BBC, CBC, RAI, WQXR (New York’s classical radio station); Sirius Satellite radio (Metropolitan Opera; Martha Stewart channel), and more than 100 local shows around the USA.

TELEVISION: The Today Show (NBC) during its coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino; Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (ABC); Good Morning America (ABC); several programs on the Television Food Network; Local programming (especially morning shows) all over the USA

FILM: Lecturer/panel moderator on cinema at Brooklyn Academy of Music; Columbia University; Metropolitan Museum of Art; New School for Social Research (taught a course about Fellini); New York University. Opera consultant on the film “Moonstruck.”  Work as interpreter for Giulietta Masina, Giancarlo Giannini, Marcello Mastroianni and other Italian cinema artists

MUSIC AND OPERA

BOOKS: Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera (Hyperion 1994) is the best-selling standard text for opera education, recommended by many major opera companies and used in more than 40 universities. Classical Music 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Classical Music (Hyperion 2002 -- Published in the UK as “Classical Music Unbuttoned” by Aurum Press). The latter has several foreign-language editions, including a very popular one in Chinese.  Both books were recorded by their author and are available on CDs and for downloading.

INTERVIEWER (in front of audiences and in print) of many top artists, including: Licia Albanese, Martina Arroyo, Fabio Armiliato, Marco Armiliato, Meredith Arwady, Emanuel Ax, Daniela Barcellona, Bruno Bartoletti, Joshua Bell, Hildegard Behrens, Lawrence Brownlee, Grace Bumbry, Jane Bunnell, Paata Burchuladze, Carlo Colombara, James Conlon, Sasha Cooke, Daniela Dessì, Plácido Domingo, Gerald Finley, Lauren Flanigan, Renée Fleming, Mirella Freni, Barbara Frittoli, Riccardo Frizza, Andrew Garland, Valery Gergiev, Marcello Giordani, Tito Gobbi, Susan Graham, Theodora Hanslowe, Marilyn Horne, Maija Kovalevska, Jennifer Larmore, James Levine, Frank Lopardo,  Christa Ludwig, Catherine Malfitano, Aprile Millo, Gianandrea Noseda, Eric Owens, Luciano Pavarotti, Michele Pertusi, Evelino Pidò, Ewa Podles, Hermann Prey, Leontyne Price, Patricia Racette, Leonie Rysanek, Nadine Sierra, Beverly Sills, Joshua Stewart, Jerome Tan, Deborah Voigt, Wendy White, Carol Wong, Dolora Zajick, Alberto Zedda, Maria Zifchak

CONSULTANT: National Endowment for the Arts; Arizona Opera; Chicago Lyric Opera; Long Beach Opera; Los Angeles Opera; Minnesota Opera; Palm Beach Opera; “Moonstruck”

SPEAKER: Austin Lyric Opera; Boston Lyric Opera; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Cincinnati Opera; Dallas Opera; Florence Maggio Musicale; Grafenegg Festival (Austria); Marilyn Horne Foundation; the Juilliard School; Los Angeles Opera; Madison Opera; The Manhattan School of Music; Metropolitan Opera Guild; Minnesota Orchestra; New York Philharmonic; New York University (annual series: Adventures in Italian Opera); Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; Paris (Opera Bastille, Chatelet); Parma (Verdi Festival); Pesaro (Rossini Festival); Philadelphia Orchestra; Salzburg Festival; Santa Fe Opera; Spoleto Festival; Torre del Lago (Puccini Festival); Venice (Teatro La Fenice); Wagner Societies in New York and Los Angeles; Washington National Opera

PROGRAM ARTICLES AND NOTES: Metropolitan Opera; New York Philharmonic; Carnegie Hall; Santa Fe Opera; Pittsburgh Opera; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Los Angeles Opera; State Opera of Pretoria (South Africa). Web site articles for Great Performances/Live from Lincoln Center

FOOD AND WINE

Restaurant consultant in the US and Italy

Creator of wine lists for restaurants

Consultant for wine purchasing for cellars

Leader of wine tastings and seminars (in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Chile, Argentina, USA)

Author of six food books and many articles (Bon Appétit; Food and Wine; Gastronomica; Gourmet; Saveur; The Wine Enthusiast)

Judge on wine juries (BAVI in Torgiano; Vinitaly in Verona)

Judge for James Beard Awards

Study Leader for the Smithsonian Institution and The International Kitchen

Keynote Speaker International Association of Culinary Professionals conference (2008)

Master of Ceremonies for AIWF (American Institute of Wine and Food) conference in San Francisco (1994)

Teacher of cooking classes in the US and Europe, including the Culinary Institute of America; De Gustibus; Sur La Table, and many more

Blogger: For the New York Times: Intro: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin/; then http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-2/; then http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-round-two/ then  http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-round-3/;  as well as Eno Logic: A Wise Approach to Wine

SPEAKING (in addition to that listed above and current appearances on the speaking page of this  Web site):

Art Institutions/Museums: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Dahesh Museum; Smithsonian Museum; Morgan Library; Dallas Museum of Art; Borghese Gallery (Rome)

Clubs: Casino Club (Chicago); Coffee House (New York); Cosmopolitan Club (New York); Metropolitan Club (New York); National Arts Club (New York); Savile Club (London)

Cruise Lines: Popular speaker on Crystal Cruises, with additional appearances on Cunard, Seabourn, Silversea

Universities: The California Institute of Technology; Columbia University (more than 20 times); Fitchburg State College, Massachusetts; The Juilliard School; The University of Minnesota; The New School; New York University; The University of Pavia; Rutgers; The University of Texas; Virginia Military Institute; The University of Wisconsin (as the first Distinguished Alumni Lecturer).

WRITING

Author of nine books and many articles. Visit the writing page on this Web site for more details

HONORS

Fulbright Scholarship; Dean’s List (University of Wisconsin); New York Financial Writers Association Award; Pulitzer Fellowship alternate (Columbia University): Finalist: James Beard Award, Julia Child Cookbook Award; IACP Award; Maria Luigia Duchessa di Parma Award; Luca Maroni Sense of Wine Award 2010 Journalist of the Year; 2010 Distinguished Service Award from the Italian Trade Commission for his “longtime commitment and contribution to the country of Italy; Barbi-Colombini Prize; Master of Coffee (University of Coffee, Trieste); Connoisseur en Vins de France. The biggest honor of all is the love and abiding friendship of many people all over the world.