Mark Calkins, President - Kentucky National Association of Teachers of Singing Associate Professor of Music — Voice [email protected]

Biography Mark Calkins, has appeared in leading roles with companies throughout North America and Europe. Performing Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lindoro in L’Italiana in Algeri, The Prince in , The Count in Le Comte Ory and Oreste in to critical acclaim in Opera houses such as: Opera De Nantes, France; Dublin Grand Opera, Ireland; Cologne Opera, Germany; The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Birmingham Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Castleward Opera, Northern Ireland; Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Toledo Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Omaha, Mobile Opera, Central City Opera and Dayton Opera. In 2009 he was awarded the Thursday Musical "Teacher of the Year". He recently performed in a nationally broadcast Dominican Republic production of La Boheme by Puccini in Santo Domingo under the auspices of the National Theater and National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, conducted by Mo. Jose Antonio Molia.

Mark joined the faculty at Berea College, Kentucky, U.S.A. in the fall of 2009 where he served as Director of Music from 2012-2015. A former member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s young artist development program, the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists: Mark was featured as Cassio in on an A&E nationwide production of Spotlight Colorado; starred in a National Public Broadcasting System Television production and World Premiere of Robert Greenleafs’ Under the Arbor, available on DVD; and as the conductor of the Berea College Women’s Chorus recently on the CBS National Broadcast “Listen” aired on Christmas Eve of 2016.

International Concert engagements include appearances in Europe’s Music festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, Villach, Austria; Merano, Italy and Bremen, Germany with Roger Norrington conducting the London Classical Players in Rossini’s . He has appeared throughout the U.S. in Broadway touring productions of Phantom of the Opera.

Recent student’s achievements include: Chicago Lyric Opera, Ryan Opera Center members; a supporting artist; ISing Beijing participant, Holly Flack, coloratura ; District and Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition winners; many statewide Kentucky and Minnesota NATS competition winners; 2009 Thursday Musical competition and 2009 Music Teachers National Association winners. His collegiate students perform leading roles in the college productions, soloists and section leaders in the college choirs. Mark’s students have been awarded Graduate Assistantships in prominent programs such as American Vocal Academy, C.S.U, Fort Collins, I.U. Bloomington, U.K. Lexington, S.I.U. Carbondale and Denver University.

Mark maintains a private studio of young professional singers has taught master classes in performance regionally, nationally and internationally at: American Opera Initiative, Augusta, Georgia; Head Professor of Vocal Technique and Vocal Pedagogy for the V Opera Studio do Recife, Brazil sponsored by the U. S. General Consulate to Brazil; Head Professor of Vocal Techniques: 1st National Operatic Singing Seminar 2015, (1er Seminario Nacional de Canto Operístico) Pachuca de Soto, Mexico, held in the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo; Conservatorio Nacional de Música, Santo Domingo; Operafestival di Roma, Rome, Italy; the Kentucky Governors School for the Arts; and at the pre-professional level across North America.

Recent opera performances include: Nadir in Bizet’s Les Pecheurs de Perles with FM Opera, Camille in the Operafestival di Roma production of La vedova allegra (The Merry Widow, Lehar) in Rome, Italy, Count Almaviva in productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Acadiana Orchestra, Louisiana and Opera Fort Collins, Colorado, Don Ottavio in Rome, Italy in the Operafestival di Roma production of Don Giovanni, and as Alcindoro in La Boheme in a natioanllly broadcast production with the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic. Mark and his wife, Cynthia Lawrence, appeared in recital at the 4th International Conference on the Physiology and Acoustics of Singing at the University of Texas, San Antonio. They are also advocates of philanthropic activities and have appeared in concert engagements such as a Gala Fund Raising Concert for the new Cancer Center at Georgia Regents University and the Columbus Zoo.

Mark was born and raised in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, earned a B.M. in K-12 Music Education from Concordia College, Moorhead and a M.M. in Voice Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a recipient of the Ted & Roberta Mann and Berneking Fellowships from the University of Minnesota where he is near completion of his DMA.