Nicholas K. Perna

Style: Opera; Rock; Classical; Pop; Musical Theatre

Title: Associate Professor & Director of Vocal Pedaogy CU Boulder

Bio:

In August of 2024 Dr. Nicholas Perna will begin his appointment as Associate Professor and Director of Vocal Pedagogy at CU Boulder. He is a Presser Music Foundation awardee and was a voice research associate at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He has been on the faculty of both the Acoustic Vocal Pedagogy Workshop at New England Conservatory and Donald G. Miller’s Singing Voice Science Workshop. Dr. Perna has presented research on four continents. Publications include Journal of Singing, Journal of Voice, & VOICEPrints. Perna was recently named Executive Director of Opera Mississippi, the 9th longest continually operating opera company in the U. S.

As the Prince in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges Charles Ward of the Houston Chronicle said, “an impressive sound, (he) made the show work vocally.” Perna was a Finalist for the American Prize: Men in Opera for 2019-2020. Operatic credits include Don José, Rodolfo, The Duke, Nemorino, Alfred, & Tamino. Concert appearances include Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Beethoven's Symphony no. 9, Handel’s Messiah, & Orff’s Carmina Burana. He can be heard on the Albany label as Paolo in Mancinelli’s Paolo e Francesca. Along with Dr. Mandy Spivak, they created The Comprehensive Britten Song Database. http://www.brittensongdatabase.com. Perna twice apprenticed with the Santa Fe Opera. An active NATS member, he is Vice President for Outreach for the 2022-2026 term. Previously he was Associate Professor and Producer of Lyric Stage @ MC at Mississippi College and a research associate at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is the creator and co-host of the VocalFri podcast https://www.vocalfri.com, your weekly dash of voice science, pedagogy, and nerd pop culture. His graduate degrees are from the University of Miami & the University of Houston. Teachers include David Alt, Jerold Siena, & Joseph Evans.

Voice Type: Tenor

Music Styles Taught: Opera; Rock; Classical; Pop; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I am currently accepting private students; I am available as a clinician or presenter; I accept students through a college or university program

Contact Information

Other Contacts

Mary A. Spivak