Biography

Lwazi Hlati is a lyric tenor from Johannesburg, South Africa, and one of the most
sought-after voices of his generation. He holds a BA in Vocal Arts from the Tshwane
University of Technology (TUT) and an MM degree and Performer’s Diploma from
Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts. He completed a Graduate
Artist Certificate in Opera Performance at the University of North Texas and began his
Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of Southern California in
the fall of 2025.
Mr. Hlati is the recipient of numerous honors including the Artistic Merit Award from
Meadows School of the Arts, the Bruce R. Foote Memorial Award, support from the
Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and SAMRO, and the Artist Merit Award from the South
African National Arts Council. He earned First Place for Best Art Song Presentation at
the 2023 Duncan Williams Voice Competition (New York City Opera & Manhattan
School of Music), and First Place in the 2024 American Opera Idol Competition in
Connecticut.
Hlati has earned acclaim for a wide range of operatic roles. Notable appearances
include Don José in Carmen (Opera North), Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera in
the Ozarks), and Miguel in Offenbach’s Pépito (The Dallas Opera). With Fort Worth
Opera, he sang Gastone in La Traviata, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, King Kaspar in
Amahl and the Night Visitors, and appeared in Porgy and Bess. Other highlights include
Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Fenton in Falstaff, Prunier in La rondine, and Mitch in A
Streetcar Named Desire, as well as concert appearances across Africa and Greece.
He recently participated in a workshop of Lincoln in the Bardo, a new opera by Missy
Mazzoli commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. His concert appearances include
Saviour: A Modern Oratorio Concert at Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the
American Opera Idol Winner Concert in Connecticut, hosted by the Farmington Valley
and Hartford Chapters of The Links, Incorporated. Upcoming engagements include the
role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème with Chautauqua Opera.