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Tenor Bryan Hymel serves as Associate Professor of Music in Voice at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, where he bridges academic pedagogy with an internationally acclaimed operatic career. His performances span premier opera houses globally including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, and Opéra National de Paris, specializing in dramatic French and Italian repertoire. His educational credentials include: Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, Rider University (2023) Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Loyola University New Orleans (2003) Hymel's scholarly focus centers on historical performance practices of 19th-century French grand opera and vocal technique evolution. He is particularly renowned for interpretations of Énée in Berlioz's Les Troyens , Don José in Bizet's Carmen , and Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell , with research emphasizing dramatic tenor roles and vocal characterization in historically significant works. His distinguished honors include: Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award (2012) Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera (2013) Georges Thill Prize by Académie Nationale du Disque Lyrique ECHO Klassik Newcomer of the Year Award As a faculty mentor at Indiana University, Hymel trains emerging vocalists using insights from his active performance career, integrating stage experience into pedagogical practice. His Warner Classics recordings, particularly the album Héroïque which reached #3 on Billboard Classical charts, serve as scholarly resources for vocal interpretation and repertoire preservation.

• Opera
• Vocal Performance
• Classical Singing
• +3 more

Gregory J. Decker is a Professor of Music Theory and Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies at Bowling Green State University's College of Musical Arts. He holds an M.M. and Ph.D. in music theory from Florida State University, where his dissertation won the National Opera Association's biennial prize (2013). His research focuses on musical semiotics, operatic characterization, and the analysis of texted music from madrigals to Broadway musicals. Education: M.M. in Music Theory, Florida State University Ph.D. in Music Theory, Florida State University Decker's work examines musical topics and cultural associations in diverse genres, with notable contributions to Handel studies, Baroque opera analysis, and modern musical theater. His methodologies bridge historical musicology and contemporary semiotic frameworks. Recent publications include Here for the Hearing: Analyzing the Music in Musical Theater (2023) and Singing in Signs: New Semiotic Explorations of Opera (2020), both honored by the Society for Music Theory. His research spans topics like dance music in Handel's operas, Cole Porter's lyric techniques, and madrigal stylistic strategies. Key Awards: National Opera Association Dissertation Prize (2013) Society for Music Theory Citation of Special Merit Multi-Author Collection Award Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate music theory, aural skills, and graduate seminars on Schenkerian analysis, semiotics, and musical topics.

• Musical Semiotics
• Operatic Characterization
• Baroque Opera Analysis
• +5 more

Melina Esse is an Associate Professor of Musicology at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester . Her research focuses on the intersections of gender, materiality, and performance in 19th- and 20th-century opera, with special attention to improvisation, vocal techniques, and the role of female performers. She has held fellowships at the Townsend Center for the Humanities and received major awards including the 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Award for her book Singing Sappho . Education: PhD in Music History and Literature, University of California, Berkeley (recognized for excellence in teaching) Research Interests: Professor Esse explores themes such as the improvvisatrice (female poetic improviser), opera’s relationship with film and technology, and the emotive body in performance. She has published extensively on operatic collaboration, gender politics in compositions like Gounod’s Sapho , and the cultural role of divas such as Farrar in Carmen . Recent Trends in Publications: Her work bridges musicology with gender studies and literary history, often analyzing how improvisation shaped compositional authority despite its decline. Recent articles address historical performance practices, liveness in opera, and the psychological dimensions of Verdi’s vocal writing. Awards & Fellowships: 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Award (University of Chicago Press) 2014 Einstein Award (American Musicological Society) 2010 NEH Summer Stipend 2018 Bridging Fellowship (Dance and Movement Program) Teaching & Mentorship: At Eastman, she teaches courses on opera history, visual spectacle, and 19th-century vocal performance. Her advisees have explored topics ranging from early music revivals to jazz traditions. She has also contributed pre-concert lectures at the San Francisco and Minnesota Operas. Labs/Programs: Engaged with Eastman’s interdisciplinary initiatives, including the Bridging Fellowship in Dance and Movement, integrating performative studies across disciplines.

• Musicology
• Opera Studies
• Gender Studies
• +5 more

Lorraine K. Stock is a Professor of English at the University of Houston, affiliated with the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She has been teaching since 1976, following her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Cornell University (1975). Her academic service includes leadership roles such as President of the Southeastern Medieval Association and membership on the Modern Language Association’s Executive Committee. She has received numerous awards for teaching and scholarship, including the UH Teaching Excellence Award (1980, 1996) and the SEMA Award for Scholarly Achievement (2014). Her research focuses on medieval literature, visual arts, and their intersections with film and cultural history. Key areas include the works of Chaucer, Arthurian romance, and the symbolism of figures like the Wild Man and Sheela na Gig. She explores how medieval themes are adapted in modern media, such as her courses on Robin Hood and King Arthur in film. Current projects include a book on the cultural significance of the Wild Man in medieval French literature and a follow-up study on the English representation of the Wodewose. Stock’s teaching innovations include hybrid courses like the award-winning 'Hybrid Chaucer' and 'Robin Hood in Culture,' emphasizing interdisciplinary and performative methods. She has published extensively in journals like Arthuriana and Studies in Iconography, and her media appearances include analyses of medieval-themed films on The History Channel. She is affiliated with organizations such as the New Chaucer Society and the International Arthurian Society.

• Medieval Studies
• Medieval Literature
• Film Studies
• +7 more

Augusta Read Thomas (born 1964) serves as University Professor of Composition at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Division of the Arts and Humanities and The College. She concurrently directs the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition and maintains an active international career as a composer. Her works are performed globally by leading orchestras under renowned conductors including Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim. Education: Attended Northwestern University, initially as trumpet performance major before switching to composition Graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London (elected Associate seven years post-graduation, Fellow in 2004) Thomas specializes in contemporary composition across orchestral, chamber, and operatic genres. Her work is characterized as 'nuanced, majestic, elegant, capricious, lyrical, and colorful,' emphasizing instrumental sonorities and innovative structures. She actively champions new music through commissions and community engagement, with particular focus on expanding critical appreciation of contemporary symphonic works. Major honors include Pulitzer Prize finalist (2007), Grammy Award winner, and dual membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters (where she serves as Vice President for Music) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Additional distinctions: CHEVALIER of Monaco's Order of Cultural Merit (2015) Lancaster Symphony Orchestra's Composer Award (2015-16) Chicagoan of the Year (2016) Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple NEA awards Thomas maintains extensive commissioning relationships with major institutions including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Opera. She serves on boards of the Aaron Copland Fund, Koussevitzky Foundation, and Alice M. Ditson Fund, and founded the University of Chicago's Grossman Ensemble which has commissioned 107 world premieres. Her community leadership includes former board chairmanship of the American Music Center (2005-2008). The Grossman Ensemble, established under her direction, represents a significant contemporary music initiative that debuted at the Library of Congress in 2025 after surpassing 107 commissioned premieres. Thomas also directs the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition, fostering new music creation and performance within the university and broader community.

• Composition
• Contemporary Music
• Orchestral Music
• +2 more

Anthony Davis is a distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego, where he holds the Cecil Lytle Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in African and African-American Music. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer renowned for his operatic, orchestral, choral, and chamber works that confront themes of racial injustice, historical memory, and cultural identity. University: University of California, San Diego School: Division of Arts and Humanities Department: Department of Music Rank: Professor Email: adavis@ucsd.edu Davis earned his degree from Yale University in 1975 and has taught at Yale, Harvard, and Cornell before joining UCSD in 1996. His academic career is deeply intertwined with his artistic practice, focusing on African-American musical traditions and their integration into contemporary classical forms. His research and compositional interests span opera, jazz, African and Indonesian gamelan, improvisation, and political music. Davis’s work is characterized by a fusion of genres and a commitment to social commentary, particularly through operatic narratives that reclaim marginalized histories. His recent compositions include operas like The Central Park Five (2019), which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize, and X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X , which has seen major revivals at the Metropolitan Opera. His works often explore the intersections of race, power, and memory, using layered musical textures and hybrid forms. The articles reflect a consistent engagement with African-American history, political activism, and cross-cultural musical synthesis, particularly through operatic storytelling and orchestral innovation. Pulitzer Prize for Music (2020) Guggenheim Fellowship (2006) Lift Every Voice Legacy Award (2008) Grammy Nomination (1993) Fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, NEA, MacDowell Colony, and Bellagio Center Davis has served as Artistic Advisor for the American Composers Orchestra and has been commissioned by major ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. His music is published by G. Schirmer, Inc., and he continues to mentor emerging composers through his academic and artistic leadership. He has collaborated with librettists including Thulani Davis, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Richard Wesley, and his works are performed globally. Davis leads the ensemble Episteme and has been a pioneering figure in improvised music. His work Angels in America brought his music to Broadway, and his ongoing projects include new operas based on children's literature and civil rights narratives. He maintains an active performance and compositional schedule, blending academic rigor with artistic innovation.

• Opera
• Contemporary Classical Music
• Jazz
• +7 more

Dennis Jesse is an Associate Professor of Voice at Louisiana State University's School of Music. He is a distinguished baritone with extensive performance experience in operettas, grand opera, and oratorio works, having appeared in over 40 operettas and notable operatic roles across numerous companies nationwide. Key affiliations: Des Moines Metro Opera, Arizona Opera, Louisiana State University Performance specialties: Opera characterization, vocal versatility across genres His research interests align with vocal performance and operatic interpretation, demonstrated through dramatic roles and linguistic precision in Italian, German, and French repertoire. Recent engagements include Danilo in The Merry Widow (Nevada Opera) and Escamillo in Carmen (Opera Idaho). Scientific awards highlight his vocal excellence: MTNA national vocal recital competition winner Fredrick Shorr vocal competition double winner Opera Columbus Vocal Competition Junior Division champion

• Vocal Performance
• Opera
• Music
• +3 more