Former Temple Terrace Resident Comes Back for Vocal Performance

Tatiana Kallmann grew up in Temple Terrace and developed an interest in music when she was part of the chorus.

Now, as a 24-year-old graduate student studying operatic vocals in Germany, Kallmann is coming back to Temple Terrace to give a concert at .

, an exploration of opera and Latin American music, will take place at Puckett Auditorium Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The event will cover a wide range of music from Mozart to the Colombian composer Jaime Leon. Adult tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Student tickets are $8.

Kallmann was born in Colombia, but called Temple Terrace home for most of her childhood. She attended for second- and third-grades. Then, her family moved to Puerto Rico for three years.

Afterward, they returned to Temple Terrace so that Kallmann and her sister could reconnect with old friends. Kallmann attended Greco Middle and heard about Blake High, a magnet school for the arts.

“It then became my dream to attend Blake for high school,” she said.

Kallmann spent her eighth-grade year at “when it was still in the strip mall,” she said.

“I had the most beautiful time there,” she continued. “I met many wonderful friends and learned a lot. Living in Temple Terrace was wonderful. I could have not had a better neighborhood to grow up in. I remember riding my bike to friends’ houses, playing hide and go seek on the golf course at night and attending the recreation center after school.”

Kallmann attended Blake High School as a chorus major her first two years and then as a musical theatre major the last two.

After she graduated, she moved back to Colombia and pursued her dream of recording a pop album.

“My parents encouraged me to move back to Florida and go to the university to study music,” she said. “They both know how hard the life of a musician can be and guided me on the education path. At that time I did not agree entirely, but now as I look back I am very happy to have let them guide me.”

Kallmann attended Florida State University where she studied voice in the School of Music.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she said she decided to continue her education.

“I grew an unquenchable interest for Europe when my family and I did a Europe trip when I was 15 years old,” she said.

Kallmann’s grandfather was a German immigrant who moved to South America during World War II. She chose to study in Germany, which has more than 300 opera houses.

Kallmann said the majority of the proceeds from the Dec. 29 concert will help finalize her master’s program and pay for a master class with world famous soprano Mirella Freni in Modena, Italy. A 10 percent portion of the revenue will go to the Colombian foundation “Soñar Despierto.”

“This organization, mostly led by young adults, dedicates itself to enriching the lives of underprivileged children in the city of Bogotá, Colombia,” she said. “I have worked as a volunteer with this foundation, and I am very inspired by their community work.”

Those interested can buy tickets online and listen to Kallmann’s music. They can also watch one of Kallmann’s performances.

For more information about the concert, call 813-928-4339.